What will become of Cityscoot’s 168 employees?
The self-service scooter company, headquartered in Saint-Ouen (Seine-Saint-Denis), is awaiting the decision of the Paris commercial court.
Cityscoot, founded in 2017 in the 17th arrondissement of Paris, is a pioneer in the sector of so-called “free floating” services.
In search of new investors to renew its fleet, it declared itself insolvent in November 2023, before being placed in receivership.
The strongest buyer should be appointed in February.
Cooltra, Silence and Bertrand Fleurose in the running
According to our information, three recovery files were submitted before the January 8 deadline.
Among the candidates is Cooltra, the Spanish company already present in Paris with 2,500 shared electric scooters.
Cooltra also earns its income from renting fleets of two-wheelers to companies.
Another file: that of the electric two-wheeler manufacturer Silence, a subsidiary of the Spanish group Acciona, a construction giant.
And finally, Bertrand Fleurose, who is none other than the founder and manager of Cityscoot until 2022. He has since founded the company Steed Mobility, specializing in long-term rental services for electric vehicles.
Read also We tested scooter lessons with Cityscoot, and it's not luxury
The Cityscoot social economic committee is meeting this Thursday to discuss the various proposed projects.
“We are in a phase of improving offers.
This is a complex question, because the court must analyze the financial capacities of each person, the jobs to be saved and the industrial project.
It can take over all or part of the activity,” indicates a company spokesperson.
200 new models of electric scooters to test in 2024
The company, present in the capital and in 17 towns in the inner suburbs, today has the RATP group and the Banque des Territories as majority shareholders.
It also operates in Italy in Milan since 2019 and Turin since 2022. However, it had to leave Nice (Alpes-Maritimes) in March 2023.
To relaunch, Cityscoot plans to test 200 new models of electric scooters in the capital in 2024. Machines with more autonomy, less expensive to maintain and therefore capable of generating more income.
The operator already has 2,500 vehicles in Paris, compared to 3,700 before Covid-19.
It was selected by the City of Paris with Cooltra and Yego, following a call for tenders aimed at limiting the number of self-service electric scooter companies in the capital to three.