Uber’s European Rival Bolt Is Hiring Managers for US Scooter Launch

Natalie Lung, Bloomberg News

Customers ride Bolt electric scooters in Berlin, Germany.

, Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Bolt Technology OU, the Estonian rival to Uber Technologies Inc., is recruiting managers to help it launch scooter operations in several major US cities.

Bolt, which offers ride-hailing, food delivery and scooter rentals in more than 45 countries in Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin America, is looking for general managers and operations managers to oversee launches in Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin and other cities, according to jobs that the company listed on Linkedin a week ago.

In the listings, the company said it was looking for general managers who would be “responsible for managing strategic relationships with cities” and improving the customer experience for e-scooter riders, among other things.

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The US foray would pit Bolt against San Francisco-based Lime, which is backed by Uber and operates a shared electric bike and scooter network in the US, Europe and Australia. Lime said last month that it was investing more than $55 million this year to grow its global fleet. Both companies have been positioning themselves for public offerings. They’re expanding operations even as rivals have struggled with tougher regulations, higher interest rates and less venture-capital funding.

“While there is currently no timeline for Bolt to launch any products in North America, we are excited about the positive impact our services can have on cities and the people living in them,” a representative for Bolt said in an emailed statement. “In a sector characterized by consolidation and businesses with short life-cycles, our focus on being the most efficient operator in the shared mobility sector has meant we have continued to grow our scooter and e-bike business very successfully.”

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Bolt was valued at €7.4 billion ($8 billion) in a 2022 funding round that involved Sequoia Capital, Fidelity Management and other investors.

(Updates with comment from Bolt in fifth paragraph)