European cities increasingly face challenges caused by transport and traffic. These challenges are congestion, accidents and pollution. European Commission has quantified these challenges in the following way:
• Urbanisation: A large majority of European citizens live in an urban environment, with over 60 % living in urban areas of over 100 000 inhabitants.
• Pollution: Urban mobility accounts for 40 % of all CO2 emissions of road transport and up to 70 % of other pollutants from transport.
• Congestion: Every year nearly 100 billion euros, or 1% of the EU's GDP, are lost to the European economy because of this phenomenon.
• Accidents: One in three fatal accidents now happen in urban areas and it is the most vulnerable people, namely pedestrians and cyclists, who are the main victims.
To solve these challenges, two separate but coinciding drivers have emerged. Firstly, policies at European and national level foster new and more resource efficient transport systems and solutions and new and innovative companies that transform the transport and mobility market.
The main output of the SME Instrument phase 1 Project for Podbike is a feasibility study that assess both the technical and commercial viability of the micro mobility solution and recommends a reiterated business, development and commercial plan for market introduction.