Tretty – Bike and scooter sharing for companies in Münster

In 2019, tretty went through the Digital Hub Accelerator. Shortly after the deal with Provinzial was announced, Simon from the Hub grabbed Max, co-founder from tretty and startup coach at REACH, for a quick interview.

Before we talk about all that and the deal, tell us a little bit about who you are and what tretty does.

Driven by their passion for muscle-powered mobility, Max Weldert - who actually studied psychology - and Amir Timo Marouf - a trained dentist - launched tretty in August 2020. The company offers its users the opportunity to use and return over 175 vehicles - consisting of kick scooters and, more recently, bicycles - in Münster according to the free-floating model within a predefined radius in the city center.

After establishing the public fleet, how did you come to the decision to also target business customers?

After establishing the public fleet, we decided to also offer companies the opportunity to build their own fleets with corporate branding. This offer is particularly attractive for companies with large factory sites or a high number of commuting employees.

In the case of Provinzial, a package for a dedicated fleet of 12 vehicles was booked. These vehicles are branded in Provinzial’s corporate identity and are available exclusively to employees at the Center-North location and the branch office.

In addition, employees can use job subscriptions to flexibly access tretty’s entire fleet across Münster, making their commute more convenient.

The branding package also allows companies to advertise on designated advertising spaces on the bicycles and scooters.

How do you assess the current sharing economy situation in Münster? Are the first electric scooter providers - such as TIER or Lime - already withdrawing from the city?

So far, it does not appear that players will withdraw from Münster. The market remains competitive, and it looks as though further competitors are also keen to gain a foothold in Münster.

We are continuing undeterred and remain committed to sustainable mobility, which continues to be our unique selling point and is very well received in our corporate communications.

What were the reasons for changing your app provider after just under a year?

We found a new white label provider in Riga that, in addition to the software costs, offered a simpler, faster, and more intuitive user experience. Previously, we had lost customers due to the complex registration process, which was originally designed for car sharing. Since the launch, we have already noticed a significant increase in registrations.

What does the hot summer mean for your business?

The recently announced easing of coronavirus restrictions, combined with rising temperatures, is having a very positive effect on our user numbers.

Spoiler alert: There may soon be some news from tretty in the area of cargo bike sharing.

Scooter or bicycle, Max?

For me personally, a scooter, because that's what my heart beats for. My absolute favorite, of course, is a velomobile. These are fully enclosed bicycles that Amir and I also ride in everyday life.

When is the next big recumbent bike tour with Amir?

Hopefully next year! It won't happen this year, as I became a father three months ago. My dream would be to cycle around the Baltic Sea, which is about 3,000 kilometers. Our last trip took us across France and Spain to Lisbon in Portugal.

Recently, you have also introduced “Tretty stations.” What are these?

In cooperation with parking garages, there are now three stations near the train station. These can be found in the parking garage at Bremerplatz, on Bahnhofsstraße, and in the Engelenschanze parking garage.

The idea is to offer fixed stations with sufficient vehicles for commuters and tourists. In addition, users who park vehicles in these areas receive a discount. We hope that the secure parking location for our fleet will reduce maintenance costs and vandalism.

The first hotels have already taken notice of the stations, allowing them to offer their guests an additional mobility service.

Is there anything else on your mind at the moment?

No, not really. Except, of course, the fact that I'm about to start my parental leave. That means I'll be spending a lot of time in my girlfriend's home country in Mexico. That means a lot of remote work, but that has already worked well in recent years when Amir was in Madagascar and I was in the Philippines.

Where should companies, city councils, and hotels go to find out more about tretty?

The best overview can be found in the business customer section of our website at www.tretty.de. You are welcome to arrange a non-binding initial consultation here.