First experiences with new e-scooters

You’ve once again been able to flit from A to B in Risch with an e-scooter from the end of May this year. The community has learned from past mistakes, however, and has thereby made a decisive change.

Rotkreuz is the first place in Switzerland where the provider TIER only makes its e-scooters available via defined rental stations – so-called hubs – says Patrick Wahl, municipal councillor and head of planning, construction and safety of the municipality of Risch. The first few months with the new offer went very well. The hubs for e-scooters are located at eleven locations between Rotkreuz railway station, the Suurstoffi and the Roche Diagnostics site. The municipal councillor adds:

"The experience with these is very good, especially as no 'wild' parking incidents have been seen, and there has also been no negative feedback from the population in this regard."

Users incur additional costs if they park their e-scooters incorrectly. Thanks to GPS tracking, TIER employees can immediately follow up incorrectly parked e-scooters, but this has not yet been necessary. The use of the scooters has been very orderly.

Fewer fun rides for night owls
The principle of hubs with their limited parking facilities can be seen by some users as less attractive, however, notes Florian Anders, communications manager at TIER. There are thereby more and more users who use the scooters on a weekly basis. Florian Anders concludes:

"We assume that fewer so-called one-off fun rides are undertaken in Risch, and the e-scooters are more likely to be regarded as a practical transport option."

For this reason, the clientele has also changed – or at least the time of use. Two years ago, the previous offer in Risch was still mainly used by young people and night owls. In the meantime, it's mainly commuters who borrow the e-scooter to get from the train station to work or vice versa, he continues. Jacqueline Stutz, Head of Mobility in Risch, draws attention to the fact that the e-scooters are intended to cover the 'first and last mile' and thereby represent a possible supplement to public transport.

The location at the station’s east passenger overpass is one of the most frequently used e-scooter hubs in the municipality of Risch.
All hubs are currently located on the north side of the railway line. Here at ‘Bahnhof Nord’ on the west side of the reception building.
Photos: Matthias Jurt

New locations in prospect
The e-scooters can currently be rented at eleven different hubs in the north of Rotkreuz. Florian Anders reveals that customers make the most use of the locations at Bahnhof Nord (Station North), on the west side of the reception building and next to the East passenger overpass at the station, as well as the three locations at Roche. In principle, however, all the hubs are regularly used, with the Erlenpark hub on the Industriestrasse having the lowest usage rate. Are further hubs planned in the municipality of Risch? Jacqueline Stutz sees additional possibilities:

"Another hub in front of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Risch-Rotkreuz could well be worthwhile, and would delight the students there."

The expansion of a hub next to Buonas Badi (lakeside bathing) could also be perceived as attractive for residents over the summer. The south side of the railway line and possibly the districts of Holzhäusern, Buonas and Risch are also on the municipality’s radar.

Riding through is also possible
When approached, Lime, the second e-scooter provider in the canton of Zug, also commented on the future of its offer. Zug was first Swiss market for Lime, and also one of the first cities in the world to have Lime e-scooters with replaceable batteries. They want to create incentives for proper parking in the city, for example, with newly introduced parking pins. Their plan is to continue to focus on "security, order and sustainability" and "to be a reliable partner for the city". Specifically, Lime is open to expansion in the canton of Zug, not only with e-scooters, but also with e-bikes.

The additional 50 e-scooters from TIER in Risch complement the existing network in the canton of Zug. As in the first attempt two years ago, they can now be used to ride through Hünenberg to Cham and Zug, where they can also be parked in the normal way, adds Florian Anders. For the reverse journey, however, the user must adapt to the rules in Risch, and may only park the e-scooter at one of the hubs.