Bolt attacks with the transport service Uber, Sixt and FreeNow

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Newcomer: The e-scooter startup Bolt now offers driving services

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu / Scanpix / imago images

Users of driving services that can be booked via the app will have more choice in the future.

The start-up Bolt, previously known for its green e-scooters, has also been providing driving services since Wednesday.

It starts in Berlin, other cities are likely to follow soon.

Similar to Uber, the new provider does not rely on its own fleet due to the legal situation in Germany, but uses rental car and taxi companies that have a corresponding license.

The drivers need a passenger transport license.

Bolt came to Germany comparatively late, but has a war chest well filled by investors and advertises bargain prices from five euros per trip at the beginning. To attract drivers, the company wants to collect lower fees from them - 15 percent. With the established competition, the commission is sometimes twice as high. So far, the company has been on the road in 15 German cities with its electric scooters and wants to expand quickly.

The market for the new mobility services has rearranged itself in the pandemic. So the global top dog Uber turned into a delivery service, meanwhile made more sales with fast food orders than with its classic transport services ("ride hailing"). In order to expand "Uber Eats" and "Uber Freight", the company bought the US delivery service Postmates for $ 2.65 billion.

The German competitors are also increasingly bundling different mobility services in their apps. The car rental company Sixt has also integrated car sharing, driving services, taxi brokerage and access to the “Tier” scooters into its offer. It's similar with Free Now, formerly known as MyTaxi. The platform of the car manufacturers Daimler and BWM also offers car sharing and other services and cooperates with the scooter brand Voi.

All providers have similar goals: to bind customers to their platforms and to make them an offer for as many mobility needs as possible.

Often the diversity is limited to the big cities.

But almost all of them promise that they will soon be drawn to the provinces as well.

Cutthroat competition is likely to become tougher.

Users can look forward to more choice and competitive prices.

Whether the integrated approaches will ultimately develop sustainably is another question.

So far, it has mainly been a loss of business.

fww / dpa