Bolt Mobility, the Miami-based micromobility startup co-founded by Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, seems to have vanished with no hint from several of its U.S. markets.
In some instances, the departure has been abrupt, leaving cities with deserted gear, unanswered calls and emails and plenty of questions.
Bolt has stopped working in not less than 5 U.S. cities, together with Portland, Oregon, Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski in Vermont and Richmond, California, based on metropolis officers. City representatives additionally mentioned they had been unable to achieve anybody at Bolt, together with its CEO Ignacio Tzoumas.
TechCrunch has made a number of makes an attempt to achieve Bolt and those that have backed the corporate. Emails to Bolt’s communications division, several workers and buyers went unanswered. Even the customer support line doesn’t seem like staffed. The PR company that was representing Bolt in March of this 12 months instructed TechCrunch it’s now not working with the corporate.
Bolt halted its service in Portland on July 1. The firm’s failure to offer town with up to date insurance coverage and pay some excellent charges, Portland subsequently suspended Bolt’s allow to function there, based on a metropolis spokesperson.
Bolt zooms than stalls
Bolt Mobility (to not be confused with the European transportation tremendous app additionally named Bolt) was on what seemed to be a progress streak about 18 months in the past. The firm acquired in January 2021 the property of Last Mile Holdings, which owned micromobility corporations Gotcha and OjO Electric. The purchaser opened up 48 new markets to Bolt Mobility, most of which had been smaller cities reminiscent of Raleigh, North Carolina, St. Augustine, Florida and Mobile, Alabama.
After buying Last Mile’s property, Bolt agreed to proceed because the bike share vendor in Chittenden County, Vermont, together with cities Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski.
That license was even renewed in 2022, mentioned Bryan Davis, senior transportation planner of the county.
“We learned a couple of weeks ago (from them) that Bolt is ceasing operations,” Davis instructed TechCrunch through e mail, noting that Bolt ceased operations July 1, however really knowledgeable the county per week later. “They’ve vanished, leaving equipment behind and emails and calls unanswered. We’re unable to reach anyone, but it seems they’ve closed shop in other markets as well.”
Sandy Thibault, govt director of Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association, instructed the Burlington Free Press that Bolt communicated that workers had been being let go and the corporate’s board of administrators was discussing subsequent steps.
A spokesperson at Burlington relayed comparable info.
“All of our contacts at Bolt, including their CEO, have gone radio silent and have not replied to our emails,” Robert Goulding, public info supervisor at Burlington’s Department of Public Works, instructed TechCrunch.
Davis went on to say that about 100 bikes have been left on the bottom fully inoperable and with useless batteries. Chittenden County has given Bolt a timeframe in which to say or take away the corporate’s autos in any other case the county will take possession of them.
Bolt additionally seems to have stopped working in Richmond, California, based on Richmond Mayor Tom Butt’s e-forum.
“Unfortunately, Bolt apparently went out of business without prior notification or removal of their capital equipment from city property,” wrote Butt. “They recently missed the city’s monthly meeting check-in and have been unresponsive to all their clients throughout all their markets.”
Butt went on to say that town is arising with a plan to take away all of the deserted gear – about 250 e-bikes that had been accessible at hub places like BART stations and the ferry terminal – and requested folks to chorus from vandalizing the bikes till town might give you an answer.
TechCrunch has reached out to several different cities in which Bolt operates and has not been in a position to verify that the corporate has stopped working solely. In truth, a spokesperson from St. Augustine instructed TechCrunch Bolt’s bike share was working as normal.
Bolt’s social media has additionally been reasonably inactive in current weeks. The firm hasn’t posted on Instagram since June 11 or on Twitter since June 2.
The final time TechCrunch heard from Bolt was 9 months in the past when the corporate was peddling its in-app navigation system that it dubbed “MobilityOS.” At the time, the startup promised that its subsequent technology of scooters would come with a smartphone mount that might double as a telephone charger, nevertheless it’s unclear if these scooters ever hit the streets.
Bolt has publicly raised $40.2 million, an quantity that doesn’t embody an undisclosed funding from India’s Ram Charan Company in May. Investors there couldn’t be reached for remark.