Mail ru : VK and Citymobil launch first electric scooter rental service within the social network

The first partner is kick sharing service Urent.

VK has launched VK Rent - an electric scooter rental service which allows users to pay via the social network. VK Rent is being launched in partnership with urban mobility platform Citymobil and kick sharing service Urent. Other scooter rental services are expected to join later as VK Rent is being built as an aggregator.

Users will find VK Rent under the Services tab in the VK super app. This is the social network's first integrated micromobility service. The partners' technological and operational synergy should allow the new business unit to develop effectively, adding on more of VK's unique social tools.

Electric scooter rental is the latest addition to urban mobility services of the VK Super App. Users can already order a cab using VK Taxi for long-distance rides, while VK Rent will cover short distances and downtown strolls. Users can conveniently pay for these rides via the social network's app. You can also reserve a scooter beforehand if you are looking for the closest one in your area.

The VK Rent brand will focus on an active young audience who use scooters to explore the city and experience something new. This is an eco-friendly and accessible service for memorable rides with friends, family or on one's own.

At launch, VK Rent will be available in St. Petersburg, Samara and Rostov-on-Don, with scooter rental spots found all over those cities, including the most popular spots. Throughout the season, the service will expand into other regions. VK Rent will eventually become available in all cities within the partner network: as of 2021, this includes more than 50 cities in Russia, from Khabarovsk in the east to Kaliningrad in the west.

Ride fares will include activation costs per scooter model and by-the-minute tariffs. You can check the price by clicking on the scooter icon in the app. To begin the ride, choose a scooter on the map in the app, scan the QR code and activate your scooter. VK Rent users will have a choice between brands like Ninebot, Okai and Xiaomi.

Vitaly Bedarev, Citymobil CEO:

'The future lies in multi-model rides when getting from A to B can be done through various options or combinations of transport. This year Citymobil introduced a single urban mobility platform and added carsharing and electric scooter rental services to its app. We are happy to see our first-in-market synergy with VK and Urent offering users a fresh new service based on the largest social network in Russia and the CIS. And this means the city will become even more accessible, offering new memorable moments to the people.'

Anton Tsivarev, VK Super App Director of Development:

'The VK Super App is constantly developing as the VK ecosystem's gateway. Our primary task is to allow the user to do everything they need, day after day. Urban mobility and freedom of movement are an essential part of our lives, especially in big cities. In 2019 we launched VK Taxi in partnership with Citymobil. With the launch of VK Rent's electric scooters, we remain committed to become market leaders. We will continue expanding our network to include other cities, as well as other partners and urban mobility services. This will allow our users quick and convenient access to various transport, offering new experiences.'

Nikolai Bogatischev, Urent CEO:

'Urent is Russia's top kick sharing service in terms of scooter fleet and geography. As a massive service, and partner of the largest social network in Russia and the CIS as well as urban mobility leader Citymobil, it is important for us to launch a new way to rent scooters for our clients to have the freedom to choose the most convenient way to rent their favorite type of transport within an app they know and love.'

More photos are available here.

Citymobil is an urban mobility platform offering multiple modes of transportation: taxi, electric scooters, car sharing, as well as other services like delivery. People can order a taxi and other transport services via iOS and Android apps, by calling customer support, or through Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram. The service is available in 70 cities across Russia. The company is the second-largest operator in Moscow and most cities where it is present in terms of number of online orders. In 2019, Citymobil became part of a food tech and mobility joint venture between Mail.ru Group and Sber.