PRESS RELEASE 23 APRIL 2020

Ruter and the Municipality of Bærum sign micromobility contract with TIER

TIER has been confirmed as the new supplier of micromobility solutions for the Municipality of Bærum. The municipality’s bike hire scheme will now be expanding to include electric scooters and electric bicycles.

Ruter, the Public Transport Authority of Oslo and the former Akershus region, has entered into a public-public collaboration with the Municipality of Bærum. The purpose of the collaboration is to establish a wide range of mobility services for Bærum. The procurement process has now been concluded, with TIER GmbH being selected as the municipality’s supplier of micromobility solutions.

– This will be the first time Ruter integrates micromobility solutions into our existing public transport system. Our collaboration with the municipality is working very well, and we believe this is going to be an important step towards the future of mobility services," says Endre Angelvik, director of mobility services at Ruter.

The partnership’s plan is to integrate shared e-bikes and e-scooters into the existing public transport system – first in Lysaker, Sandvika and Fornebu in 2020, then in other parts of the municipality during springtime next year.

Ruter and the municipality of Bærum intend for the new micromobility scheme to become a valuable and safe addition to the environments where they are introduced. To this end, the partnership will aim to keep in close touch with the municipality’s general population, for purposes of receiving feedback and making adjustments.

Formally, the purpose of the contract is to develop a scheme that

• complements existing public transport services by allowing travellers seamless movement from transport hubs all the way to their final destination • provides the aforementioned scheme to the city's inhabitants, visitors, businesses and municipal employees

– Bærum is on the way towards becoming a climate-smart municipality. We want to make it easy for residents to choose transport solutions with the lowest carbon footprint possible. Collaborating with Ruter to offer excellent city bike services in Bærum is an important part

of this work. Bærum's climate strategy and city bike strategy set clear goals for increasing the number of people who choose bicycles as their preferred means of transport," says Lisbeth Hammer Krog, Mayor of Bærum.

Sustainability and road safety are two prominent concerns when it comes to developing micromobility solutions. Ruter is an important premise setter for moving the market in a positive direction. Finding creative solutions to improve user safety, increase sustainable production and reduce the number of fossil-fuelled vehicles on the roads are important evaluation criteria in the procurement process.

– Ruter and Bærum chose TIER because of the high standards we set regarding quality, operations, vehicles and safety. We are looking forward to aid Bærum in their endeavour to expand the municipality’s mobility sector in a sustainable direction. We want to offer the inhabitants of Bærum a new way of commuting, while at the same time providing them ways to comply with the authorities’ current social distancing recommendations. In the long term, we are committed to supporting Bærum's sustainability and zero-growth goals," said Lars Christian Grødem-Olsen, city manager at TIER Mobility in Oslo. Expanding the scheme further

Bicycling and walking are important parts of Bærum’s plan for comprehensive and sustainable mobility within in the municipality. In order to make these mobility forms attractive, the municipality requires a flexible network of integrated mobility solutions of the highest quality. Customers need more options that make it easier to leave their car at home. By collaborating with Bærum municipality, Ruter aims to acquire new knowledge and experience to draw upon when shaping sustainable mobility solutions for the future.

Going forward, Ruter will be looking to make similar micromobility schemes available in other municipalities. Consequences of COVID-19

Ruter is working towards an ambitious goal of launching Bærum’s new mobility scheme in the summer of 2020, with a detailed implementation plan presently being made. The definitive launch date is yet to be set.

The worldwide COVID-19 situation has created its own challenges regarding production and delivery of certain vehicles. In addition, Ruter must consider recommendations issued by the national health authorities when it comes to selecting an appropriate date for launching each service.

TIER has taken its own precautions to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 in Norway. Precautions include:

• Disinfection of all parts on the e-scooters where users' hands have touched the vehicle, performed every time the scooter is brought in for a battery change and safety check • E-scooters that undergo maintenance or repairs to bearings will be disinfected thoroughly before being returned to the streets

For more information on how TIER deals with COVID-19, please visit: https://www.tier.app/covid19