Irish e-scooter company Zeus ramps up UK presence

Zeus Mobility, the Irish electric scooter company, is ramping up its presence in the UK where it recently signed a new agreement with a ninth local authority to provide its services in the jurisdiction.

The agreement with Slough Borough Council will see the Co Carlow-based company provide an initial 300 e-scooters and 30 e-bikes to commuters in the area, said Zeus chief executive and founder Damian Young.

“Slough is a very busy borough. A lot of enterprises, a lot of residential areas,” he said. “This is our ninth location in the UK. We operate in nearby Aylesbury, High Wycombe and then further afield so we’re all over the place.”

Speaking to The Irish Times in Cape Town, South Africa where he is attending this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year (EOY) chief executive retreat, Mr Young also welcomed the recent passage of new legislation that has introduced legal categories for light electric vehicles into Irish law.

Zeus has deployed and operated almost 10,000 vehicles in more than 60 locations globally, primarily in Germany and the UK but the new legislation will allow it to commence roll-out in the Republic.

The new rules, which came into force on Monday as part of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, have been “a long time coming”, the former banker said, “but are welcome now at this stage”.

However, Mr Young said the Government had “missed an opportunity” by not codifying the regulations earlier. “An established network of e-bikes and scooters could actually help with city and transport infrastructure, especially in the post-Covid world when people weren’t getting on trains and commuting. That was an opportunity.”

Mr Young, a finalist in the emerging category of this year’s EOY competition, travelled to South Africa on Sunday as part of a delegation of more than 100 Irish entrepreneurs, including the 24 finalists and a large cohort of past participants.