Ms Victoria Springthorpe:

We generally have a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing. Within markets, we tailor our permanent pricing to the average regional income. We offer discount pricing for HSE workers and students, for instance, and a large number of free rides for jobseekers and so forth. We see ourselves as being accessible in the mobility sense but also the financial sense. In addition, we offer a weekly and monthly pass for regular users.

On the pavement space issue, we all agree that we do not want to see e-scooters on the footpath in Ireland. There are three approaches to preventing this. As already mentioned, the first is technological. There is geofencing technology and we are testing out our blocking technology to prevent footpath riding by scooter riders. When they approach a footpath, the scooter will slow down and then stop. Education is another important factor. Once we agree what the rules of the road are in Ireland, we all, both providers and local authorities, need to educate as many people as possible through campaigns, advertising and in-app and in-person training. The third factor is punishment. We all need to have a zero-tolerance approach to any attempt to footpath-ride. For us at Bird, if any of our users are caught on a pavement in the UK, they are banned from our service. We have a very high-tech identity detection system that prevents anyone from opening a second account. If someone is banned from our service, he or she is banned for life.