Updates
Date:
Writer:
Cogo Team
Traditional mapping and routing products were designed around cars, pedestrians, or privately owned bicycles. But shared mobility operates under a completely different set of rules. Every city has different regulations. Every operator has different parking logic. Some areas are restricted entirely, others are slow-speed zones, and increasingly, many systems now require vehicles to be picked up and dropped off only in designated locations.
Yet despite all this complexity, the navigation experience for riders has remained surprisingly generic.
That creates friction.
A rider unlocks a scooter and starts navigation. Midway through the ride, the vehicle slows down unexpectedly because they entered a restricted zone. In another city, they arrive at their destination only to realize parking isn't allowed there. In places like London, riders can cross into boroughs where certain vehicles are no longer permitted to operate at all.
The result is confusion, failed trips, unnecessary fines, and a poorer rider experience overall.
Today, Cogo is launching turn-by-turn navigation built specifically for shared scooters and bikes.
Unlike traditional navigation systems, Cogo's routing engine takes into account the real operational constraints of shared micromobility: no-go zones, slow-speed zones, operator-specific restrictions, mandatory drop-off locations, and designated pickup areas. The route itself is aware of how shared mobility systems actually function, so riders aren't caught out mid-journey by rules the map never knew existed.
The feature is already live across Europe with major operators including Voi, Lime, and Dott, with more geographies rolling out soon. The result is a navigation experience that is significantly more seamless from start to finish.
What makes this problem hard is that there is no universal rulebook.
A navigation system for cars can generally assume that roads remain static and rules are relatively standardized. Shared mobility is different. Regulations can change not just between countries, but between neighboring cities, districts, and individual streets. Operators including Voi, Lime, and Dott each maintain their own operational zones, parking logic, and deployment rules, and Cogo's routing engine is built to reflect that complexity accurately.
This means routing for shared mobility isn't simply about finding the fastest path from A to B. It requires understanding whether a trip is actually feasible operationally from start to finish.
Can the rider legally pass through a certain area? Can the vehicle continue operating there? Will the rider be able to end the trip at their destination? Is there an approved parking zone nearby? Will they encounter reduced-speed sections along the way?
These are questions that traditional navigation products were never designed to answer.
As shared micromobility matures, the user experience around the ride itself becomes increasingly important. Hardware has improved dramatically. Vehicles are more reliable, safer, and better designed than ever before. But digital infrastructure has lagged behind, and navigation is a critical part of that infrastructure.
The goal is straightforward: reduce friction for riders and make shared mobility feel more intuitive and predictable. Because ultimately, the easier these systems are to use, the more likely people are to adopt them as a genuine alternative to private car trips.
