Mobility App developer, FREE NOW, has produced a new report revealing emerging transport trends across Europe and changing consumer preferences in Ireland for 2022. 

The report highlighted the growing popularity of alternative forms of transport in Europe which passengers are using as part of a multi-modal approach to daily transport , with eScooters, eMopeds, eBikes, taxis, private hire vehicles and car sharing among the options available for booking with FREE NOW. The data shows a 483% year-on-year increase in eScooter, eBike and eMoped trips and a 931% rise in car sharing bookings on the FREE NOW app across Europe in 2021 compared to the previous year. 

This increased use of car sharing, eMopeds and eBikes aligns with the transformation of FREE NOW into a fully integrated multi-mobility platform with ride hailing at its core and new partnerships with SHARE NOW, TIER, Cooltra and Dott. 

FREE NOW data also shows a 45% increase in taxi trips across Ireland last year compared to 2020. The app also recorded a growing national demand for electric taxis with 48% more passengers making ECO bookings than in 2020, meaning more passengers were choosing EV and Hybrid vehicles. This increase aligns with FREE NOW’s regional expansion of its ECO bookings service last September in Cork, Galway and Limerick, having first launched in Dublin in 2020. The ECO fleet now comprises 30% of FREE NOW’s nationwide taxi offering in Ireland.