Fewer scooters, fewer cities… After two difficult years, Cityscoot is forced to change its strategy to survive. Give space to competitors like Yego?
“It was too much.” The founder and former head of Cityscoot readily admits: “The pandemic has been a very difficult time. Sometimes we reach 5% of our 2019 turnover.” In great financial difficulties, the company was forced to revise down its ambitions in order to survive.
A forced landing registered by a fundraiser, making the RATP and the Banque des Territoires the new majority shareholders of Cityscoot. Estimated at almost €120 million in 2020, Cityscoot’s valuation would have collapsed for this new round of financing. As of now, “frugality” seems to be the watchword of the French leader in self-service electric scooters. Cityscoot is targeting profitability for the first time in its history by the end of 2022. So we have to cut back.
In Paris, its most important market, its fleet has gone from more than 3,500 scooters at the beginning of the year to less than 2,500 today. “Scooters will be better distributed throughout the city […] so that they are in the right place at the right time”, Cityscoot justifies. Furthermore, its international development strategy is becoming more modest. Last year, and after less than a year of presence in Barcelona, Cityscoot had to pack its bags. To the delight of his competitor Yego.
Yego in an ambush in Paris
Yego, one of its biggest competitors, was born in Barcelona in 2016. Founded by three Frenchmen, the start-up also hopes to be profitable by the end of 2022. At first glance, it hasn’t stopped its ambitions yet, and continues to bite into market share in France after having conquered four Spanish cities. This year, the brand with apple-green scooters won tenders in Toulouse and Bordeaux. But the priority remains by far its development in Paris.
One year later[…]