E-bike firm Gotcha’s unsuccessful permit application to Dublin City Council
Earlier this week I published a story on The Currency looking at the Dublin e-bike sharing startup Moby. Among the issues discussed with the company’s CEO was the matter of licensing. Moby secured a stationless bike-share licence from Dublin City Council in May 2019. The council only issues two licences and Moby gained approval when a previous licence holder, Urbo, pulled out.
DCC has decided to grant these licences to two Irish companies (the other being Bleeperbike) rather than allow an international player into the mix. Uber has lobbied the council in the past on getting its bikes on Dublin streets but was unsuccessful.
During the tendering process for the licence ultimately awarded to Moby, US bike-share firm Gotcha threw its hat into the ring but was declined by the council.
Gotcha runs e-bike and e-scooter sharing services in dozens of cities around the US. Its bid in Dublin suggests that the company was preparing some kind of European expansion. It had various communications with Dublin City Council officials in the summer of 2019 and since then it merged with rival Ojo. (Also important to note that it is possible any European plans are on hold for now given the current state of the world.)
For reference, here’s the letter from Dublin City Council to Gotcha informing the company that it was unsuccessful in its application:
