Spin Purchase Lifts TIER to World Leader

Berlin, Germany

Berlin company TIER Mobility has become the world’s largest multimodal micromobility operator, following its purchase of Ford-owned micromobility operator Spin.

TIER now operates more vehicles and in more cities than any other operator, after this month’s acquisition boosted TIER’s global footprint by 106 communities in North America.

It was TIER’s third acquisition in recent months and marks the company’s move into the US and Canadian markets.

TIER had previously bought Europe’s largest bike-share player, nextbike, and Italian market leader Wind Mobility, and was operating in more than 410 cities, with a fleet of 250,000 vehicles, prior to purchasing Spin and its 50,000 vehicles.

A statement from TIER said Spin has “strong city partnerships in North America, a history of city-focused innovation like sidewalk riding detection technology and ground-breaking approaches to building successful charging infrastructure”.

“TIER has industry-leading safety features, the highest sustainability standards, and trailblazing innovations, such as the proprietary TIER Energy Network and swappable battery technology, the statement says.

“The two companies are committed to being the best possible partner for cities, while building the safest, most equitable, and most sustainable mobility solution for people.

“Investing in and modernising the Spin fleet with 100% swappable batteries will be one of many upcoming projects to achieve environmental sustainability and efficiency in the North American micromobility industry.”

Ford Motor Company has confirmed it will remain part of the venture by becoming a strategic investor in TIER.

Ford’s new businesses vice-president, Franck Louis-Victor, said combining TIER and Spin would “provide scale that’s desperately needed in the competitive micro-mobility sector”.

Spin recently restructured to focus entirely on limited or single-vendor markets where cities or campus officials select partners through a competitive procurement process. The company’s partnership focus has helped it retain 100% of its permits over the past five quarters.

Spin’s team will continue in North America as a separate entity while transferring its UK business to TIER at a later date.