OECD Safe Micromobility Report Singles Out Irish Precision Positioning Startup, Luna As Key Tech Solution

Dublin startup, Luna, provider of world-first centimetre-level positioning accuracy for e-scooters, has been referenced as a significant safety solution in a report on micromobility safety by the International Transport Forum (ITF), part of the OECD.

The report, which examines and makes recommendations on the safety aspects associated with various modes of micromobility including pedal bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters, concludes that e-scooters do not pose significantly higher risks of road traffic death or injury than pedal-bicycles. Moreover, the report posits that traffic would be safer in general if more car and motorbike drivers used micromobility, underlining the fact that motor vehicles are involved in 80% of fatal crashes with e-scooters and bicycles.

Throughout the report, ITF outlines guidelines for cities to follow which it feels would support greater adoption of micromobility, in addition to recommendations on ensuring safer e-scooter usage. These include limiting e-scooter speed, geofencing and pedestrian protection. The report highlights the importance of 5G and GPS accuracy in achieving several of these guidelines. Luna’s centimetre-level positioning accuracy is the only company referenced as already being in the process of rolling out these kinds of technologies.

The ITF is an inter-governmental organisation within the OECD system. It is the only global body with a mandate for all modes of transport. It acts as a think tank for transport policy issues and organises the annual global summit of transport ministers. This is the ITF’s first report on micromobility and 2020 marks the year that Ireland holds the Presidency of the ITF. In May, the body plans to convene a Summit of Transport Ministers from its 60 member countries. The summit is due to take place in Leipzig, with Luna being requested to attend.

Sharon Masterson, Manager of the Corporate Partnership Board of the International Transport Forum at the OECD stated: “We have just released our Safe Micromobility report during the 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm. Road safety is of paramount importance to all of us, and with the increased use of micromobility in our cities, all stakeholders, including the tech sector, need to respond to the different challenges to ensure safer micromobility.” “The report proposes a range of safety improvements relating to vehicle design, fleet operation, infrastructure, regulatory enforcement and training”, she continued. “It proposes future-proof, balanced safety regulations proportional to the risks imposed. As micromobility users increase globally, we believe that it is necessary to take a holistic view of road safety and new mobility, and hope that this report will contribute to discussions and future policy decisions on this important topic.”

Andrew Fleury, co-founder & CEO, Luna added: “We are delighted that this report supports our view that standard GPS positioning is simply not precise enough for these modes of transport. Luna is proud to be referenced in this report as it validates our technology and the important role that centimetre-level positioning has to play in ensuring the future adoption of micromoblity. As it stands, there is huge uncertainty in the e-scooter market and all of this comes back to safety. While it is important for regulation to be discussed, we feel that at this point in the conversation, regulators should also be publicly discussing the technology piece of the puzzle. Without more accurate positioning, there is simply no way to ensure any effective regulation of scooter riding and parking, full stop. We are really excited that our technology is going to be the lynchpin to ensure the wider adoption of a greener, safer mode of transport in cities across the world.”

Launched last October at the Micromobility Europe Conference in Berlin, Luna recently announced its partnership with U.S. e-scooter operator Blue Duck, to pilot its technology ahead of the commercial roll-out. The pilot, run at Dublin City University also aims to provide valuable control and governance data to inform Irish and global policy formulation on e-scooter usage.

The adoption of e-scooters is currently being re-examined by several key European cities. Paris is currently deciding on which operators should provide its e-scooter services, while Amsterdam, Rome and Turin are also planning tenders. In London, talks are progressing to legalise the use of e-scooters.

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