Public Funding for Captur Limited

The use of micro-mobility (e-bikes and scooters) has been growing significantly with a **projected market size of $500bn by 2030** (McKinsey 2021). The use of e-bikes and scooters, both shared and private, are already beginning to form a significant part of the urban transport network, with journeys doubling each consecutive year from 2019 to 2021\. **micro-mobility will be key to reducing traffic and achieving Net Zero by 2030**. This growth in micro-mobility has not been without its challenges - in particular, **safety and parking compliance**. Several initial trials led to streets being cluttered and thoroughfares obstructed which in turn led to **clamp-downs on use and parking bay requirements being mandated.** Residents and businesses are unhappy. Visually impaired and blind people in particular have suffered with **charities calling for micro-mobility schemes to be terminated** (The Guardian 27/04/2022). **Suppliers and local authorities still struggle to incentivise and police parking.** We know that we can do better. Captur and Unitary want to make micro-mobility work for everyone by providing suppliers, customers and local authorities with **AI-enabled technology to de-clutter the streets.** By building **safety verification algorithms** to automatically check the context of where vehicles are parked based on images taken by users post-ride, we will help to improve parking compliance, **make streets safer and help reduce friction.** Ultimately, this will contribute considerably to micro-mobility uptake and eventually **reduce car use and emissions in urban areas.**

The Covid19 pandemic has caused a series of lasting lifestyle changes, including the mass adoption of alternative forms of personal transport in response to the need to free up space on public transport and enable social distancing. Bike sales spiked in April by 60% and the government has responded by investing over £200 million in various future transportation schemes at a national level. At a local level, council's are piloting new Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes and opening up tenders for micro mobility operators. The successful adoption of alternative forms of transportation, specifically shared and micro mobility, requires immediate innovation across software, hardware, and infrastructure to build cities for the future and encourage new market entrants. A significant barrier to entry and growth for shared mobility companies is the huge operational cost of vehicle maintenance, representing 10% of the cost per trip and an estimated $4.5 million annually for a single operator (Bird annual report). On the other hand, a barrier to adoption from a user perspective is the fear of the potential costs and lack of transparency if they do damage a vehicle or are wrongly charged. In one study of over 2,000 UK hire car drivers, almost a third don't realise they have to pay damage costs up to the excess amount on their rental agreement. Furthermore, damaged vehicles left on roads or sidewalks cause an even greater concern for the accessibility of city streets, especially for disabled groups. In this project, Captur will develop unique image recognition algorithms that can automatically identify damage to vehicles and determine whether or not that damage is within fair wear and tear guidelines. Resulting in an impartial and consistent third party system to diagnose vehicle damage. The key objective is to aid in the adoption and rapid market growth of new forms of personal transportation post Covid19\. Long term, the innovation also has the potential to extend the average lifetime, sustainability, and accessibility of micro mobility vehicles.