Cities in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including the cities of Saudi Arabia are witnessing many challenges of congestion, traffic safety, and accessibility for underserved populations. However, with the radical disruption in the global transportation industry, cities of Saudi Arabia and other cities in the GCC have many opportunities to catch up. 

In the last few months, many European and American cities have decoded their deep-rooted transportation challenges by adopting micro-mobility solutions which work on the advanced tracking and IoT technologies. Government of Saudi Arabia is also using technology-enabled mobility to reduce traffic congestion, increase road safety and fight against climate change. 

Government of Saudi Arabia and several other GCC governments have already started encouraging e-scooter operators and users to work together to find a sustainable solution. Regardless of the scale, all micro-mobility startups can consider this as the 2020’s first business opportunity. They can tie-up with the government, get a permit, build the e-scooter app and deploy e-scooters on the streets of Saudi Arabia’s two most profitable markets, Jeddah and Riyadh without getting restricted by local authorities, unlike other European cities. 

In this blog, we will discuss the efforts of several GCC countries to innovate the transportation, elements of the smart micro-mobility ecosystem, most recently launched e-scooter apps in Saudi Arabia, reasons why you should start an electric scooter sharing business in Saudi Arabia and cost to build an e-scooter app in Saudi Arabia. 

Government’s efforts to support the micro-mobility ecosystem in GCC

Some cities of GCC are already including the smart micro-mobility and smart mobility projects into their urban planning as they believe that making transportation smart is the first step to develop the smart city. 

• According to Frost & Sullivan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will invest around $50 billion in smart city projects through 2020. 

• In Saudi Arabia, Neom which is the planned cross-border smart mega-city has recently declared to develop world’s most user-centric, technologically advanced and eco-friendly mobility ecosystem by prioritizing the electric, shared, and smart mobility options. 

• Another country of the GCC – Qatar – which is going to host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, is ceaselessly working and investing to improve public transportation options as well as micro-mobility ecosystem. 

• Abu Dhabi has a self-driving shuttle service and partnerships with several micro-mobility startups. One of those startups is Lime which recently launched a groundbreaking feature only for the rider of the Abu Dhabi.  

The positive aftermath of the government’s efforts has already started popping up. Recently, two micro-mobility startups have kicked off their electric scooter sharing business in Jeddah and Riyadh. If you are planning to build an e-scooter app in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, you should read this. 

Recently launched e-scooter apps in Riyadh and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia  

 
Riyadh is Saudi Arabia’s capital and main financial hub. It is located on the desert plateau in the country’s centre. In October 2019, a Europe-based micro-mobility startup Circ has announced its expansion to Saudi Arabia. Circ’s entry to the kingdom is believed a step towards accomplishing its ambition to drive the micro-mobility revolution across all potential cities of GCC. 

Circ has tied up with the real estate management arm of the Saudi Public Pension Agency (PPA) and a subsidiary of Al Ra’idah Investment Company (RIC), RAZA, and deployed its fully electric scooters across the Digital City in Riyadh.  

 To know more about the Circ and build its clone app, please read our dedicated blog on Circ. 

Unlike Circ, a local micro-mobility startup named Dabeeb, founded by two friends recently launched an e-scooter app and deployed e-scooters in another Saudi Arabian city, Jeddah. In addition to e-scooters, Dabeeb provides e-bikes which can be rented through the mobile app. The founders of the Dabeeb got an inspiration to jump into the micro-mobility industry when they found it difficult to commute within the university campus. Though the Dabeeb is the newbie and local startup, it has raised somewhere between $101K-$250K. 

Now, let’s quickly discuss the reasons why a micro-mobility startup is likely to taste the massive success in the Saudi Arabian micro-mobility market. 

Top 4 reasons why it is a safe bet to build an e-scooter app in Saudi Arabia 

 
Our business experts have studied the markets where every e-scooter app is enjoying the very high user base. And they discovered that a commuter, university student, tourist and even a casual user give up on their cars and opt for e-scooter only because of the 4 factors. Those 4 factors include: 

• Safer roads 

In 2018, almost 6000 people died (nearly 16 people on every day) and 30000 people got injured in the road accidents in Saudi Arabia. This number depicts how severe the situation is! 

An e-scooter which is equipped with many safety features can surely reduce the road accident death total. The maximum speed of the e-scooter is very less than the car but enough to quickly travel within the city. Additionally, the speed of the e-scooters is remotely controllable. And geofencing technology alerts the rider when he approaches the accident-prone area, school, park and market.

• Less traffic  

As discussed, peak hours traffic in almost all major cities of Saudi Arabia is haunting commuters as well as the government. So, to increase the average commute time, an e-scooter is the best mode of transportation. It is very easy to ride and navigate through the streets. 

• Cleaner environment  

Due to intense fossil fuel usage, Saudi Arabia is suffering from many environmental issues which directly affect the health of the people. In the year 2018, a total of 422,000  cars were sold in Saudi Arabia and unsurprisingly, a car is the major source of harmful gases. 

An e-scooter is powered by a rechargeable battery and it is emission-free. Most importantly, it is much more affordable than other electric vehicles. 

• More effective workforce      

An e-scooter is the best last-mile connectivity option. It helps households to move closer to urban areas which eventually increases their employment prospects and options.

So, after reading so far, if you are thrilled to build the e-scooter app in Saudi Arabia, you should know the 5 elements of the micro-mobility ecosystem.  

Elements of the micro-mobility ecosystem 

 

• User experience: 

Whether it is a mobile app or e-scooter hardware, the user should get exceptional user experience while booking the e-scooter and even while riding an e-scooter. 

• Existing mobility modes: 

Cities and micro-mobility startups should integrate other mobility modes such as public transportation, car sharing, and ride-hailing services with e-bike or e-scooter sharing to help people travel within cities in a truly painless manner. 

• Emerging technology 

Micro-mobility startups should employ emerging technology to offer a safer ride and monitor user activities effectively. 

• Data and Analytics  

 Micro mobility startups should collect data from the connected devices and mobile app. They should also visualize and analyze data and work with cities to make infrastructure more e-scooter friendly and spread awareness about e-scooter sharing. 

• Regulations 

Governments need to craft the set of regulations and e-scooter operators should obey it to ensure the safety of riders. 

Looking for a technology partner to build the e-scooter app in Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia? Know how we can help you. 

 
Coruscate is the top e-scooter app development company which has developed 10 e-scooter apps including an app, Dabeeb, for Jeddah. Our business experts and legal advisors have acquired helpful knowledge about Saudi Arabian e-scooter market and regulations. They can help you to study the market, select the e-scooter hardware and get the permit. 

Our app designers and app developers are well-trained and well-schooled who accommodate space-age features in the e-scooter app and make it very unique and future-proof. 

Considering the different requirements of different micro-mobility startups, we offer 3 very startup-friendly cost structures to build the e-scooter app.  

• To develop the custom e-scooter app with all custom features, we charge somewhere between $15K to $25K. 
• The price to develop a clone version of some popular e-scooter app such as Lime and Bird starts from $10K. 
• And our subscription plan for the white label e-scooter app starts from just $500.

To know more about the e-scooter app features, our cost structures and to get a personalized quote, please feel free to contact us. We also provide free e-scooter app demo and free consultation.