It’s an unpretentious shop, at the end of rue Dante in Nice. A small space to receive customers and display the models of electric scooters for sale, and a back shop that is barely more spacious for repairs.
Up to 10,000 euros turnover
“I opened in March 2022. Initially, I was alone, I did around a hundred repairs per month for a turnover of around 2,500 euros”says the manager ofAzur ScootersAslan Magamadov.
A year and a half later, there are two of them full time, the number of interventions has multiplied “in threes or fours” et, “in good months, turnover can reach 10,000 euros”. A high-speed growth that the owner of the place explains by “an campaign, customer loyalty” but above all “by an increasingly important demand”.
The number of electric scooters has literally exploded in France in recent years: nearly 2.5 million copies have been sold over the last three years, according to figures from the Federation of Micro-Mobility Professionals. Three times more than in the previous three years.
“Permanent growth”
Inevitably, the need in terms of maintenance, upkeep and troubleshooting follows the same upward curve. “Scooter repair has exploded”confirms Jérôme Vantard, who opened the store BicycleShop ten years ago, rue Defly. And if he preferred to stop selling them (“mass distribution has taken over the market”), its repair activity continues to grow. “We have increased the working hours and increased the number of staff.”
The observation is exactly the same with Nissalentoursa rental and repairer of electric bicycles and scooters located on Boulevard Gambetta. “When we opened in May 2022, we didn’t expect to have more scooters than bikes; but we almost only have that”supports founder Tiffany Hubert.
“It’s a more fragile machine, more difficult to maintain alone”deciphers Guillaume Ferraro, director of the Vélocity boutique, rue de la Buffa, where the scooter quickly outstripped the bicycle, the original core business: “Our workshop is experiencing constant growth. Today, we have to repair five scooters for one bike.”
No formal training
While demand is growing rapidly, this is not necessarily the case for supply.
Bicycle repairers got involved, and electric scooter specialists were created. This is the case of Mechatronicerue de Rivoli, launched in 2022 by Mendi Aittahar and his partner. “There are few of us but we are all quite busy. With the explosion of the scooter, new micro-mobility users have appeared. There is a real demand, which is growing quickly, but the supply does not always keep up .”
“It’s more difficult, there is no official training. We learn on the job”enlightens the director of Velocity.
This is what motivates the founder ofAzur Scooters to consider offering training, he who already regularly welcomes trainees who come to train with him before starting their activity.
It aims for State recognition via the National Directory of Professional Certifications and Qualiopi certification. “We would like to train unemployed people to create new jobs.”
The “Bicicletta shop” store is one of the first to start repairing electric scooters in Nice. Photo Dylan Meiffret.
Soon more scooters than bikes?
According to figures from the Federation of Micro-Mobility Professionals, more electric scooters have been sold than electric bikes in France since 2019. Are there now more of them? “It’s difficult to say because these machines are not registered,” explains Guillaume Blanchard, president of the National Association of Electric Micro-Mobility Users. “We know when they enter the park, not when they leave.”
On the cycle paths of Nice, a few dozen minutes of observation are enough to get a clear idea: bicycles are still (very) largely in the majority. In the city center, on the green corridors, such as on the Prom’.
Despite its advantages (more practical, more compact, less stolen, less expensive, etc.), the scooter suffers from its accident-prone appearance and suffers from “bad image”, notes Tiffany Hubert, from Nissalentours, who also rents more bikes than scooters. And the cycling community shares a “mindset” (dixit Guillaume Ferraro, from Vélocity) that scooter users don’t really have.
