RIDE in the tough but rewarding business of e-bike sharing

What began as a local partnership with Bird in 2020 has since grown into a fully independent scooter-sharing business with operations in Aruba and Costa Rica – and soon, mopeds in Spain. At the heart of this shift is e-moob’s decision to take full control of its fleet, its brand, and its technology. That control, Santos says, came with switching to ATOM Mobility.

Launch date: 2020 (with Bird), independent launch with ATOM Mobility in December 2024
‍Country: Aruba and Costa Rica
‍App Store: 4.9 / 5 ⭐
‍Google Play: 4.8 / 5 ⭐
‍Fleet: 150+ scooters in Aruba, smaller fleet in Costa Rica
‍Web page: https://e-moob.com
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/e-moob/id6642640340
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=e.moob.app

In a market as compact and tourism-driven as Aruba, micromobility is a unique challenge. There’s limited space, high operational costs, and intense competition for visitor attention. But for Luis Santos, co-founder of e-moob, it was also the perfect opportunity.

Starting in a market built for tourism

e-moob launched in Aruba, where the economy relies heavily on tourism - over 3 million visitors per year. Almost all of e-moob’s users are tourists, with 99% of rides coming from short-term visitors. The island’s layout and mild weather make it ideal for short scooter trips along the coastline, especially in popular resort areas.

“Aruba is a super small market, and it can get flooded quickly,” says Santos. “We learned from experience that we can’t go beyond 1,000 scooters here. So when we wanted to grow, we had to expand outside the island.”

That led to e-moob’s second market: Tamarindo, Costa Rica – another sunny, coastal town with a young, active tourist crowd. The business model remains the same: light, flexible mobility for short-distance use, tailored to tourism patterns.

Long setup, fast scale

Launching operations in Aruba wasn’t quick. “Before we even started, it took almost a year to get everything ready – registering the company, getting licenses, even just opening a bank account,” Santos explains.

The technical launch also had its challenges. When e-moob moved to its own brand using ATOM Mobility in December 2024, there were initial issues with starting rides due to firmware and hardware compatibility. “Some scooters couldn’t be unlocked properly, and we had a few tough days. But the team at ATOM Mobility helped fix it quickly, and within a week we had everything working smoothly.”

Before launching under the name e-moob, the team operated using their own brand called Evikes on the Bird platform. “That’s how Bird was working with partners back then,” says Santos. “It was our brand, but the operations were fully integrated with Bird’s system.” This setup helped them gain visibility among tourists – especially American visitors who already had the Bird app – but also came with limitations.

Switching to ATOM Mobility: Gaining control

Before launching under their own name, e-moob operated under Bird’s platform. While that brought initial visibility and trust – especially from American tourists who already had the Bird app installed – it came with limitations. All changes, pricing, or refunds had to go through Bird’s team. When parts or new scooters were needed, delays became a serious problem.

Eventually, the lack of flexibility pushed e-moob to go independent.

With ATOM Mobility, Santos and his team gained full control. “Now I can change prices, send bonuses, and refund directly. We also choose and buy our own units from Okai, instead of waiting for Bird. We manage customer service in-house. It’s been a major change.”

The result? e-moob is now operating at nearly the same revenue level with their new ATOM-powered fleet of 160 scooters as they were with their much larger Bird fleet of around 300 to 400 units. “We make almost the same amount of money with half the scooters,” says Santos. “That was an unexpected success.”

Adapting to the local market

Electricity prices in Aruba are high – around 2.5 times higher than in Miami – which directly impacts scooter charging costs. This shaped e-moob’s pricing strategy. Rides cost about $0.56 per minute and $1.07 to unlock, including the local 7% tax. These prices are slightly higher than in mainland U.S. markets but necessary to maintain profitability.

As for user features, subscriptions and loyalty programs haven’t played a big role yet. “Most of our users are tourists – they come, ride, and leave. There’s no long-term user behavior,” Santos explains. 

Running the business day-to-day

Santos still handles customer support personally and uses ATOM’s admin tools daily to manage refunds, view ride history, and track issues. “We get very few support emails – maybe 10 to 15 a month, even with thousands of rides. Most issues come from signal delays when the scooters are in sleep mode.”

While e-moob doesn’t rely heavily on heatmaps or demand analytics (the team already knows exactly where to place the scooters in such a small market), the monthly dashboards and ride data remain useful for tracking performance.

Santos is also looking forward to using upcoming feature that allows tagging locations on the map – restaurants, hotels, or partner businesses – to increase visibility and engagement.

Challenges and strategic pivots

One of the biggest challenges came when Bird stopped supplying new hardware. “Our competitors arrived, and we needed new scooters, but Bird couldn’t deliver. We waited over a year, and that’s when we realized we had to build our own brand.”

Buying directly from Okai and using ATOM Mobility gave e-moob independence. It also opened the door to support multiple vehicle types. That’s essential for their next move: launching moped (Vespa-style) sharing in Spain.

“We’re already negotiating with suppliers,” says Santos. “We’re aiming to start next summer in Spain – our first European market. It’s a big step, especially since mopeds are a new category for us. New parts, new maintenance, new challenges. But we’re ready.”

Looking ahead: Europe and beyond

The moped launch in Spain isn’t just about growth. It’s a way to move into more scalable, tourism-driven markets. Aruba has reached its limit, and Costa Rica has proven slow to scale due to logistics and local bureaucracy. Europe offers a more mature market – and new opportunities.

e-moob is also in discussions with local delivery apps for third-party integrations. While current scooter zones are too limited to justify monthly fees, mopeds will expand the service range and open new B2B possibilities.

Santos is also exploring the potential of building stronger local loyalty by partnering with businesses and hotels. It’s a small use case, but one that could help bridge the gap between tourism and local use.

From hobby to ecosystem

Surprisingly, e-moob is a side business for Santos. His main company provides IT infrastructure for hotels and casinos, while he also manages a real estate firm and a smart home business in the U.S.

That existing network actually helped launch e-moob. “We started by placing scooters in private buildings developed by people I already worked with. Public spaces weren’t available at first, so private locations made it possible,” he recalls. “Now, we even have scooter parking inside the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis hotels.”

Community, growth, and the power of being present

Santos regularly attends industry events like the Micromobility Conference. “It’s small, but valuable,” he says. “Meeting partners in person helps us move deals forward. Last year we made great connections. This year we’re closing our first moped deal because of those conversations.”

For Santos, success is not about buzzwords or fast scaling. It’s about growing smart, solving real problems, and building sustainable operations. “We’re proud of how far we’ve come. We’ve grown the fleet, expanded the business, and made something that works.”

Advice for new operators?

“Get full control from day one. Don’t depend on someone else’s rules,” Santos says. “The more control you have – over the operations, the pricing, the support – the better you can react to what your market really needs.”

With its strong base in Aruba, growing operations in Costa Rica, and exciting plans for Europe, e-moob is not just a scooter company – it’s a case study in smart, independent micromobility growth.

The ride-hailing industry has revolutionized urban mobility, but not without its challenges. While consumers enjoy affordable rides and seamless booking experiences, drivers often shoulder the challenges of the trade-off. In Sweden, where the cost of living is high, many drivers working for major ride-hailing platforms like Uber and Bolt have faced increasingly difficult conditions, from lower earnings per trip to rigid and punitive policies. We got in touch with Samual Nygren, Co-Founder of Fair, to discuss how a driver-first ride-hailing platform has emerged as a beacon of change.

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Launch date: June 2023

Country: Sweden

App downloads: More than 20 000

App rating: 4.9/5

Web page: https://fairtaxi.se

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/se/app/fair-taxi/id6450279161

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fair.app

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The origins of Fair: A movement born from protests
Fair’s story begins with a series of driver-led protests in Sweden a few years ago. Disillusioned by shrinking incomes and unfair practices, drivers took to the streets of Stockholm, blocking traffic with their cars and holding up signs to demand change. Among them was a group seeking to create a nonprofit organization to advocate for better conditions. The founders of Fair became involved through a personal connection, seeing the drivers' struggles firsthand and recognizing an opportunity to support their cause.
Initially approached to help develop a website for the organization, Fair’s founders quickly saw an opportunity to go beyond advocacy and create something actionable: a competitive, driver-focused ride-hailing service. This marked the birth of Fair, a platform designed not just to offer rides but to redefine what fairness looks like in the gig economy.

‍A fairer model: Drivers in the driver’s seat
At its core, Fair operates on the principle of empowerment. Unlike traditional platforms where drivers often feel like disposable assets, Fair positions drivers as majority stakeholders in the company. This means they have a say in how the platform operates and directly benefit from its success. Key features of Fair’s model include:
- Lower platform fees: By keeping fees as low as possible, Fair ensures drivers retain a larger share of their earnings.
- Generous terms: Unlike major platforms where declining too many ride requests can result in penalties or even bans, Fair’s policies are designed to accommodate the realities of drivers’ lives.
- Nonprofit principles: Fair’s nonprofit orientation underscores its commitment to prioritizing drivers over profits.
This model has resonated deeply with drivers in Stockholm, where Fair first launched. With the success of its pilot, the company is now expanding into smaller cities across Sweden, taking its mission of fairness to a broader audience.

Beyond rides: Advocating for labor rights
Fair’s mission extends beyond providing a ride-hailing service. It aims to shine a spotlight on the working conditions that gig economy workers face – not just in ride-hailing but also in food delivery and other sectors. Historically, Sweden has been a stronghold for labor rights and fair pay, but the gig economy’s precarious working conditions have exposed gaps in this framework.
By raising awareness and leading by example, Fair seeks to spark a broader conversation about fairness in the gig economy. Its success could pave the way for similar initiatives in other industries and countries.

‍Partnering with ATOM Mobility: A platform built for change
Fair’s innovative approach is supported by its partnership with ATOM Mobility, a technology platform that powers mobility businesses around the globe. Through this collaboration, Fair has been able to focus on what matters most – supporting drivers and redefining fairness – while leveraging ATOM Mobility’s expertise to handle the technical complexities of running a ride-hailing service.
ATOM Mobility provides the infrastructure that allows Fair to offer seamless booking experiences for users and operational efficiency for drivers. This partnership ensures that Fair’s resources are directed toward growth and advocacy, rather than reinventing the wheel technologically. By working together, Fair and ATOM Mobility demonstrate how technology and purpose-driven businesses can create lasting impact in the gig economy.

Looking ahead: Building a fairer future
While Fair is still growing, its impact is already evident. By putting drivers first and demonstrating that fairness and profitability can coexist, Fair is challenging the status quo of the gig economy. The platform’s expansion into smaller cities and its growing driver community are testaments to the demand for a more equitable alternative.
As Fair continues to scale, it stands as a powerful example of how even small players can drive meaningful change. With its driver-first principles and commitment to fairness, Fair isn’t just a ride-hailing platform – it’s a movement.