If you’re a fan of less traffic, more options and looking like an on-the-go executive with a fun streak, rejoice: another e-scooter service is coming to town. TIER Mobility, a micro-mobility provider that has enjoyed popularity in Europe, has launched in Tel Aviv.
Whip-smart Tel Avivians may ask themselves “why on earth would another scooter brand enter the city when we already have Bird, Wind, Lime and Dott?”
TIER offers an explanation, stating in a company-run survey that “there is great openness for new e-scooter brands due to the current lack of brand loyalty. Fifty-five percent of shared e-scooter users used two brands and 33% used all three of the available brands at the time. Thus, the company expects the Tel Aviv public to sample its affordable, new product with excitement.”
“We are excited to launch our activity and to take part in the Israeli micro-mobility revolution,” said Rudy Daniel, TIER Israel’s CEO. “The momentous investment [in] the development of [Israel’s] adapted paths illustrates the need and demand for shared, safe and convenient forms of micro-mobility transportation, to improve mobility in cities for the entire population, riders, and non-riders alike. TIER will operate in Israel as it operates in the world – led first and foremost by our values of safety and sustainability.”
“The momentous investment [in] the development of [Israel’s] adapted paths illustrates the need and demand for shared, safe and convenient forms of micro-mobility transportation, to improve mobility in cities for the entire population, riders, and non-riders alike. TIER will operate in Israel as it operates in the world – led first and foremost by our values of safety and sustainability.”
Rudy Daniel
On that note, while the company’s scooters may boast slightly cheaper ride times (you can save about NIS 0.40 on a 12-minute ride), TIER’s true defining factor is its emphasis on carbon neutrality.
TIER’s efforts
The company’s declared mission to “change mobility for good” manifests in the offset of its greenhouse gas emissions via the purchase of carbon credits: regulatory permits that allow for a specific amount of carbon dioxide emissions before facing penalization. (Companies that produce less carbon than their allotted quota are able to sell their credits to more polluting companies, ideally balancing and eventually reducing worldwide emissions.)
The company’s CEO, Lawrence Leuschner, has made significant efforts to fight climate change by building businesses with a sustainable vision, including founding Blue Impact Ventures, a fund focusing on issues such as clean mobility, regenerative farming, solar housing, and food waste reduction.
In 2020, Leuschnner dedicated his entire stake in TIER to the Founder’s Pledge organization, which urges entrepreneurs to donate their personal proceeds from their companies to charity. In a Medium post, he wrote about his decision.
“I have everything I need: a wonderful relationship, a healthy body and mind, great friends and family, a beautiful home and the salary to support a carefree and fulfilled way of life,” he wrote. “I wish for all my financial means above and beyond that to contribute to what has always excited me most – building and supporting impactful technology-enabled businesses.”