The kicksharing operator Urent has proposed integrating rental electric scooters into Russia's public transport system. The idea was presented at the CIPR conference by the company's CEO, Ivan Turinge. The concept is that scooters should not be a separate service "for walks," but rather part of a single urban route – along with the metro, buses, trams, and other modes of transport.
The first step could be the integration of kicksharing into transport applications and digital maps, which are already operating in several regions. In the future, users will be able to plan a trip in one service, switch from public transport to a scooter, and receive discounts for doing so. This approach fits into the Mobility as a Service concept, where different modes of transport are combined into a single digital system.
Urent believes that such integration will not only simplify payment for trips but also increase safety. Data exchange between kicksharing and city authorities will allow for a better understanding of where parking for personal mobility devices, dedicated lanes, and other infrastructure are needed. The company currently shares anonymized data on trips and its fleet of electric scooters in several cities.
Separately, Urent is working on age verification for users to prevent minors from riding. According to Ivan Turinge, more than 25 million people in Russia already use kicksharing, and 90% of scooter trips are for transport purposes – meaning they are used not for entertainment, but as a way to get from one point to another.
