Blue Duck prepares for winter expansion with new tech platform, powered by Vulog

Micromobility. Scooters

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Blue Duck prepares for winter expansion with new tech platform, powered by Vulog

 

San Antonio, Nov 17, 2021 — San Antonio-based micromobility operator Blue Duck announced it has selected shared mobility technology provider Vulog to fuel its six-state winter expansion campaign and e-bike scale-up across the Southern United States. Beginning today, Vulog’s AiMA platform will power Blue Duck’s customer app and back-end technology, enabling seamless local operations and a superior rider experience.

 

To support its ambitious three-month expansion campaign across Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas, Blue Duck sought a technology provider that could deliver best-in-class software to rival that of larger micromobility players like Bird and Lime. Vulog’s AiMA platform will equip Blue Duck with key safety features like precise geofencing to protect public spaces and enable new subscription options to make rides more affordable. With these tools in place, Blue Duck will be able to concentrate its efforts on forming close community and campus partnerships and expanding access to sustainable mobility.

 

“Blue Duck is constantly evolving and adapting as we strive to improve the rider experience and our community impact. We are incredibly excited to partner with Vulog to offer a new and improved software platform, which will create an optimal Blue Duck experience,” said Jen Holbrook, Director of Marketing and Communications at Blue Duck. “This partnership is a natural step forward as our organizations are already aligned in our values; our commitment to partners, and our drive to enhance communities with powerful mobility solutions.”

 

Vulog is the global shared mobility technology leader, allied with more than two dozen e-scooter, e-bike, e-moped, and carsharing operators including Volkswagen, Kia, and Stellantis. Supporting more than 20 million annual journeys, Vulog’s cross-sector, data-driven innovation pipeline will deliver Blue Duck a technology platform at the vanguard of shared mobility. 

 

“Vulog is thrilled to provide Blue Duck with the next-gen operations platform that will delight riders and protect public spaces,” said Monica Wejman, Vulog’s Managing Director for North America. “With 15 years of multimodal experience and best-in-class technology, Vulog’s platform will do the heavy lifting and enable the Blue Duck team to focus their efforts where they count: fleet management and customer engagement.”

 

In February, Blue Duck launched South Carolina’s first fleet of shared e-scooters in the City of Spartanburg, S.C. and the City of Greensboro, N.C. welcomed Blue Duck’s first multi-modal suite of both e-scooters and e-bikes in March. Blue Duck’s next launch is planned for the  University of North Carolina at Greensboro, with additional launches in Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Texas by Q1 2022.

 

Press Kit

 

About Vulog:

Every second, someone starts a trip on Vulog’s technology. Founded in 2006 in Nice, France, Vulog is the world’s leading new mobility technology provider. Its AiMA platform propels mobility services for the world’s leading OEMs (Volkswagen, Stellantis, Kia Motors, Mocean), as well as new mobility providers (Repsol, Sumitomo Corporation and British Columbia Automobile Association, among others). Vulog’s recent innovations include cutting-edge demand anticipation and forecasting tools, smart pricing and smart charging offerings, as well as various fleet management applications.

 

Media Contact:

Kristin Musulin

kristin@electricavenue.city 

609-680-1777

 

About Blue Duck:

Blue Duck provides shared electric scooters and electric bikes for cities, universities, and communities. Blue Duck was founded in Texas in 2017 and our civic-minded approach sets us apart from our competitors.  We invest in the communities we serve by hiring employees from the local area and establishing local operations centers where we deploy and maintain our fleet. We pride ourselves on being responsible members of the neighborhoods we serve and work with key city staff and city members to contribute real mobility solutions to problems facing residents, tourists, and communities as a whole.

 

Media Contact:

Jen Holbrook

jen.holbrook@flyblueduck.com

843-636-5877

 

BDS Taps Joyride Tech for Rapid Deployment

Micromobility. Scooters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: HUGH DONAGHER
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Blue Duck Taps Joyride tech to power rapid fleet expansion

Joyride’s tools facilitate Blue Duck’s deployment to new markets

San Antonio, Texas, September 12, 2019 — Blue Duck Scooters has adopted Joyride’s platform for managing fleet operations and rider experience. Joyride is a global leader in Mobility as a Service (Maas) whose applications enable Blue Duck’s rapid deployment as it doubles the size of its fleet of scooters in coming weeks.

Joyride’s software solution includes the user app that riders download and configure to unlock Blue Duck’s scooters on their iOS and Android devices; the operator app that allows the field operations team to manage the fleet; and the web-based administrative dashboard which integrates payment processing and gives Blue Duck full control of all aspects of fleet management and customer support.

Blue Duck Chief Executive Officer Eric Bell said, “Joyride’s industry-leading innovative platform is more secure, more reliable, and more scalable than our previous software solution.” He added, “Blue Duck will become the partner-of-choice for cities, universities, and companies worldwide by offering our riders an exceptional experience they can’t get elsewhere. Joyride will be an integral component of meeting that objective.”

With Joyride’s geofencing, Blue Duck can quickly roll out its fleet in full compliance with local ordinances, restricting its operations to those areas permitted by law and in observance of any local curfew regulations. Joyride’s built-in Mobility Data Specification (MDS) and General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS) APIs enable Blue Duck to share ridership data with its municipal partners. Finally, Joyride’s hardware-agnostic platform allows Blue Duck to manage its fleet of scooters that consists of a blend of makes and models from different vendors.

Vince Cifani, Founder and CEO of Toronto-based Joyride said, “The folks at Blue Duck have a compelling vision for the future of micromobility. We are honored to partner with them in delivering an exceptional rider experience in all of their markets.”

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Blue Duck Scooters is a San Antonio-based company with fleets of electric scooters in several cities in Texas and Florida. More information and links to their apps can be found on their website at www.flyblueduck.com.

Joyride is the world’s leading micromobility platform, with a presence in over 50 cities and five continents. Launched in 2015 as a platform for bike share operators, Joyride has worked with governments, large-scale operators, and startups around the world to launch micromobility fleets and reduce the global carbon footprint. Learn how to bring micromobility to your city at www.Joyride.city.

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BDS Orders 2,200 Scooters

Micromobility. Scooters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: HUGH DONAGHER
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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, August 20, 2019 — Blue Duck is proud to announce it has ordered its next generation of scooters from ACTON, a San Francisco Bay area-based innovative tech company offering MaaS (Mobility as a Service) solution packages. The company is adding 2,200 ACTON M Pro Electric Scooters to its fleet in the coming weeks.

Photo of ACTON M-Pro electric scooter
ACTON M-Pro electric scooter

Blue Duck Chief Innovation Officer Andre Champagne said, “The new Blue Duck is an incredible advancement in the evolution of the e-scooter commercial-grade fleet asset. The M Pro’s transformational front fork suspension, wider deck, low center of gravity and intuitive two-stage braking will offer the rider a smoother, more stable ride in unpredictable urban streetscapes.” With a 575 watt engine and a 37% larger battery, the new scooters will have a range of more than 30 miles.

“The ACTON M Pro is a significant upgrade to the urban e-scooter experience,” said Blue Duck CEO Eric Bell. “Riders will enjoy greater safety and increased confidence on our new ducks,” he added.

Mr. Bell said that Blue Duck has been working with ACTON for more than eight months, “and they consistently go the extra mile to provide the best solutions in the business and best possible customer experience. They deliver on time and help us with deployment of large fleets to make sure the vehicles hit the streets without a hitch.”

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Blue Duck Scooters is a San Antonio-based company with fleets of electric scooters in several cities in Texas and Florida. More information and links to their apps can be found on their website at www.flyblueduck.com.

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BDS Hires CIO, HR Director

Micromobility. Scooters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: HUGH DONAGHER
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SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, August 13, 2019 — Blue Duck Scooters has added two new members to its leadership team, and promoted another.

Andre Champagne
Andre Champagne

Joining the company as Chief Innovation Officer is Andre J. Champagne, founder and former CEO of Hollywood Trucks. Mr. Champagne will be responsible for driving product development and market development through innovation.

As founder of Hollywood Trucks, Mr. Champagne built a company dedicated to providing the entertainment industry with state-of-the-art and eco-friendly logistics and transportation services. During his tenure, Mr. Champagne’s innovations led to the world’s first “off-grid” trailers, called Ecoluxe, which obtained multiple patents and global recognition.

“I chose to join Blue Duck Scooters because I am very excited about micro-mobility, which is poised to change the world and transform economies. Our children will not look at cars as we do today; micro-mobility is the future of transportation,” said Mr. Champagne.

Adrienne Beck
Adrienne Beck

Also joining the leadership team is Director of Human Resources, Adrienne Beck. Ms. Beck is a global human resources leader with a broad range of experience guiding the development of human resources for several large international corporations.

CEO Eric Bell said he was excited to welcome Adrienne and Andre on board. “I am thrilled we are able to attract such accomplished individuals to enhance our team of talented leaders as we expand our fleet across the state of Texas and beyond,” he said. “Not only is Blue Duck adding world-class talent to our leadership team, we are also on track to  become the scooter partner of choice for cities, universities and companies worldwide.”

Akeem Brown head shot
Akeem Brown

Blue Duck has also promoted Akeem Brown to Senior Director of Government Partnerships building on the success he has achieved as Government Relations Manager and Director of Government Partnerships. Mr. Bell said, “Akeem has been vital to our early success establishing partnerships with the cities we serve. His ability to work with all stakeholders to craft micro-mobility solutions unique to each of our markets is a critical element for our growth moving forward.”

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Blue Duck Scooters is a San Antonio-based company with fleets of electric scooters in several cities in Texas and Florida. More information and links to their apps can be found on their website at www.flyblueduck.com.

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