GoShare, a local provider of e-scooter (electric scooter) sharing service in Taiwan, announced on July 30 that New Taipei is now officially included in its service coverage. Along with this announcement, GoShare has also formally introduced the Gogoro 3 Smartscooter into the lineup of vehicle models that are available for rental at its service stations in both Taipei and New Taipei. The territorial expansion of the GoShare platform and the addition of the Gogoro 3 will benefit local users of mobility sharing services in terms of greater convenience and more options.
Less than a year into its existence, GoShare has already garnered more than 700,000 registered users in Taiwan. Following its launch in Taoyuan, the platform has been rapidly expanding northward and southward into several major urban centers such as Taipei and Tainan. It has now finally established a presence in New Taipei, which is the most populous city on the island. At the press event for the announcement, GoShare representatives emphasized that residents living in the Greater Taipei Area will have a new and better choice in transportation.
The official rollout of GoShare in New Taipei took place at 4:00 p.m. on July 30. The e-scooter sharing service can now be accessed in the following districts of the city: Banqiao, Zhonghe Yonghe, Sanchong, Luzhou, Xinzhuang, Linkou, and Xindian.
As GoShare begins operating in New Taipei, it has also adopted the Gogoro 3 into its e-scooter fleet. Compared with the Gogoro VIVA that comprises a large portion of GoShare’s fleet, the Gogoro 3 offers more power and a larger seating area. The vehicle can comfortably fit two riders and take them up a hill without any problems. GoShare has also equipped this latest model with a wireless charging mount for smartphones. It is a handy feature that will make the platform more user-friendly.
GoShare plans to initially deploy a fleet of 2,000 brand-new scooters for its expansion into New Taipei. This move will obviously rattle WeMo Scooter, which has been the sole provider of e-scooter sharing service in the city until now. If nothing else, consumers will most likely choose the service provider that has the newer and more powerful vehicle model. However, there are other factors that drive the competition in this market apart from the selection of vehicles. For example, service providers have been trying to take the lead in addressing the issue of the cleanliness of the helmet that comes with the rented vehicle.
According to the statistics from the company, the daily number of rides registered through the GoShare platform in Tainan reached a high of around 2,000 in the first month of its operation in the city. This also means that every one of its vehicles deployed in Tainan during the same period was operated by 10 different users per day on average. In this context, ensuring an acceptable hygienic standard for the complementing helmet is both a serious challenge and a marketing opportunity. One to two free disposable helmet liners can be a noticeable point of differentiation. However, the frequent users of mobility sharing services may have to bring their own helmets for now if they are uneasy about the ones that accompany rental scooters.
In conjunction with the service rollout in New Taipei, GoShare has reduced the per-minute rate by NT$1 (this rate is in effect after the fixed charge for the first six minutes of use). The deal will last from July 30 to August 2. There is also a NT$20 rebate for trips in New Taipei (i.e., renting and returning the scooter within the city). The promotion will last from July 30 to August 13.
At the same time, GoShare is working with VISA to give out random discounts. Before the end of August, GoShare users that pay for their scooter rentals with a VISA card through Apple Pay will have a chance to win a “one-dollar ride” (i.e., have the bill for a single ride reduced to just NT$1).
(News source: TechNews. Photo credit: TechNews.)