The race for the transformation of mobility has already waved its flag of departure in Argentina, with the launch of the car rental systems Toyota Mobility Services, Awto (of Nissan) and MyKeego. Based on an app, they allow you to see the nearest retirement station on the cell phone, unlock the vehicles, see where to return them and pay with a credit card.
These platforms attack a problem that occupies the pole position of the big cities: a transit that does not give respite, with trajectories that extend excessively, in addition to other environmental issues.
For example, in the Federal Capital there are 1.6 million patented private vehicles, more than 10% of the country's total fleet (13 million), not counting public transport and cars that come from the conurbano every day. That is, there is one car for every two inhabitants.
Faced with this scenario, the streets of the City are about to become the scene of another competition for mobility: last week, a bill to regulate the rental and circulation of electric skateboards entered the Legislature.
The initiative, which the Buenos Aires Executive expects to be approved in May, calls these units a "vehicle for personal use" and provides for the following issues:
- The minimum age to circulate will be 16 years
- Bicycle paths and cycle paths can be used
- Rollovers must include front and rear lights
- They must also have brakes and a horn
- It will be forbidden to move without a helmet or attached to another transport
- The maximum speed will be 25 km / h
"The electric skateboards are agile, comfortable and are used in major cities around the world to make short trips and connect with public transport," said Esteban Galuzzi, deputy secretary of Transit and Transportation of the City, during the summit of Public Transport Leaders in Moscow, Russia.
Before the query of iProUP, from the portfolio they say that "they are going to launch is a pilot test in which several companies may participate", although they do not advance what they are, since "they are chatting with several companies and the resolution has not yet come out".
They also stress that "there will not be a single provider like the Ecobici and that citizens who want to use it will have to pay a cost."
In this sense, local authorities estimate that the tariff scheme will be the same as that of taxis, although cheaper: a base cost, similar to the "flag drop" of taxis, of about 25 pesos, plus a "card" of between 6 and 10 pesos per minute. The system will be launched in July.
As iProUP exclusively announced, the one with the advantage is Grin, a Mexican company allied with Rappi, which has already deployed its commercial team in the neighborhood of Palermo to join cafes, restaurants and other places as partners, which will offer its physical space as points of withdrawal and return of these vehicles in exchange for a commission.
But it does not run alone, but an international company and an Argentine startup also want to be present in the starting grid.
The first is Movo, from Maxi Mobility, the Spanish holding company that also owns two brands already known to Argentines: Glovo apps, delivery; and Cabify, travel with driver.
The other is Voltion, a local company that started distributing AirWheels skateboards in the country, but it already has its own brand and designs that it sells in several markets, including Europe.
Glovo's sister
Maxi Mobility, which plans to go public this year, raised 20 million euros for its Latin American expansion in a round led by Madrid insurer Mutua and venture capital Seaya, linked to BBVA. As part of that injection of capital, their skateboards have already left in Santiago de Chile and in June they will run through Montevideo.
The next station of the platform will be Argentina. In fact, from the company confirm to iProUP that the service will arrive "in the coming weeks" to the country. And it will start a new form of mobility, ecological and on two wheels.
This month, Movo stepped on the accelerator of its expansion in Argentina, not only because of the competition of Grin, but because of the Buenos Aires government's interest in regulating the use of electric skateboards.
"We are waiting for a regulation and in full negotiation with the government," says Miguel Abad, Movo's global public affairs officer, in dialogue with iProUP. And he adds: "We are interested in the pilot test as soon as the call to participate becomes public".
The manager emphasizes that the "custom of the company is to enter the markets with authorization and good understanding of the authorities." This strategy was also deployed with Cabify: they managed to be "legal" by requiring drivers to register professionally, register as remis and insurance policy accordingly.
Beyond the official project, Movo is already forming the responsible team in Argentina with the aim of starting to shoot during the first semester. "I could not say if in May or June, it will be in the next few weeks," says Abad.
In addition, the firm is taking advantage of the relationship that its "sisters" Glovo and Cabify achieved with the entrepreneurial and mobility ecosystem, which "allowed to open doors" to accelerate local plans.
At this point, Abad stresses that they will take advantage of Glovo's "link with all business partners" so that they can add their share to the withdrawal and return points in exchange for a portion of the profits generated by those spaces.
The manager, in addition, confirms that they will begin with the neighborhoods with the greatest amount of traffic and the influx of tourists. Palermo, Puerto Madero, downtown and the Buenos Aires bass appear as the main candidates.
It remains to define the number of units, but it is estimated that they will start with some 300 skateboards, the same amount that they initially implemented in other cities in the region, such as Santiago de Chile or Montevideo.
Another point that is analyzing defining the company that insurance offers coverage for this type of vehicle. "In the insurance market is a new situation, so there was no specific product previously and companies are designing the most appropriate, we are in talks with several companies," says Abad.
The Argentine alternative
In 2015, brothers Sergio and Christian Gudalewicz began to represent several skateboard companies locally, including AirWheels, one of the most important worldwide. With the acquired know-how, they already own their own brand, Voltion, and want to participate in the rental business of these vehicles.
"We represent several companies of skateboards, two of them offer the rental service, the system and the application, our idea was to go to the rent and, with the Buenos Aires government project, we thought it was a good opportunity to launch it", he assures. Sergio Gudalewicz, CEO of Voltion, to iProUP.
The company is already marketing its own brand and by the middle of this year they will launch their "own" model, that is, designed internally.
Unlike the rest of the global players, Voltion has a strong argument to get its place in the pilot that will launch the City: integration of Argentine work, both at the construction and software level.
"Our project is to launch a national product, we are working with a company in Bahía Blanca to develop the application, and we will install an assembly plant in the Parque Patricios Technology District," Gudalewicz told iProUP.
The company already has experience in rents of these shots: it is already working with Segways (skateboards that have wheels on the sides) and electric skateboards through city tours for foreign tourists in the City of Buenos Aires.
This background allowed them to overcome a "curve" that delays several companies in the sector, such as insurance, since there are not many companies that offer specific policies for this type of vehicle. In your case, they work with Swiss Medical Group.
Gudalewicz says that by dedicating themselves to the sale and design of these equipment, they have another differential: the reliability of their equipment, since there are many low quality generics. "We offer sales, after sales and service, and our technical service even receives inquiries from vehicles of other brands," adds the executive.
But other telephone communications that attend daily confirm how the interest of Argentines in vehicles increased. "We went from a few calls to more than 300 per month," he trusts in dialogue with iProUP.
The Movo model
Once the system is up and running, the use of the skateboards will be done entirely from the Movo application (available for iOS and Android).
The user must scan their ID to verify their age and, if the regulation imposes it as a requirement, their driver's license.
Once identified, the user can consult the map on his cell phone to find the nearest retirement station and reserve his skateboard. Once you arrive at the place, you must scan a QR code to unlock it, put on the helmet provided by the company and walk out.
Finally, the vehicle will be returned at another point and the fare will be paid, which follows the model of the taxis: an amount for unlocking (equivalent to the "flag drop") and a charge for each minute of use.
In addition, the system foresees that the vehicle be used in a specific area, since they are designed for routes of up to 5 kilometers. Since the vehicles have a built-in GPS, the company will know if they were parked outside that area and will impose fines.
With respect to prices, the executive affirms that they have not yet been defined, but that they will be "similar to those handled in the region and cheaper than a taxi". So the rates would be around the following amounts:
- Unlock: $ 22
- Cost per minute: $ 4.50
- Parked outside the area or damaged: $ 1,100
- Penalty for irreparable damage: $ 22,000
"They will be available from 6 to 22, although this may vary because" each city has its particularity "and will be" related to the season, seasonality, etc. ", Abad contributes. At night, they will withdraw from the shops and be returned the next day "says the executive, who adds that all the logistics is in charge of the company, unlike Grin, in which this service will be provided by" loaders "users.
In addition to the skateboards, for a second phase they evaluate offering the rent of electric bicycles, as in Chile; or motorcycles, as in Spain. That is, the three forms of "micromobility" that the firm provides.
In this sense, Abad recognizes that the company's plan is to make Movo, Cabify and Glovo coexist within the same interface, in a single application.
"We have a strategic job, they are independent applications, but we try to take advantage of each one.The integration is in our plans, for Argentina I can not advance a date.We must first be operating.The idea is to have a multi-service platform that offer all mobility solutions, "he concludes.
The race for transport 4.0 began and the various options are prepared to leave the pits. Already their engines are roaring, but without noise or pollution, pillars of the mobility of the digital economy.
