Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) Electric Mobility invested in becoming the first taxi company in Pristina, Kosovo, with the fleet consisting of only electric cars.
“Our company stands out for its commitment to sustainability and innovation,” said Fidan Hallaqi, founder and CEO of Electric Mobility. “We are proud to be the first electric taxi company in Kosovo.”
Electric Mobility’s investment was financed by a loan secured from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) through Raiffeisen Leasing Kosovo, a local partner financial institution. Once Electric Mobility had carried out the investment, it received a 15 per cent cash-back grant from the European Union.
With support from the EBRD’s Advice for Small Businesses, the company has also developed a mobility-sharing platform to help digitalise all of its processes. The platform allows Electric Mobility to collect data about every journey and customer, track results and make changes on the go.
“Investing in green technologies saves costs and makes businesses more competitive in local and EU markets,” explained Sergiy Maslichenko, EBRD Head of Kosovo. “Also, sustainable mode of transportation, such as electric vehicles, improves the air quality in Pristina and reduce demand for fossil fuels. Helping local businesses become greener and more competitive is one of our main priorities in Kosovo.”
“Under the ongoing SME Competitiveness Support Programme the European Union provided a grant of 6 million euros under the national Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) only for Kosovo,” noted Johannes Stenbaek Madsen, Head of Cooperation Section, European Union in Kosovo. “Whereas, under the regional IPA WBIF the EU provided 30 million euros to the Programme for the Western Balkan region including Kosovo. The programme helps Kosovo SMEs to increase and improve their processes and quality. Electric Mobility is one of 170 local SMEs that have successfully implemented investment projects and improved their competitiveness through this programme.”
Since Electric Mobility started its business with electric cars just nine months ago, the company has registered over 15,000 active users and has completed more than 67,000 journeys, with a total combined distance of over 605,650 kilometres. Beyond the local market, Electric Mobility plans to establish franchises in other countries, starting with North Macedonia next year.
Other means of transport are also in the company’s plans; the launch of Pristina’s first micro-mobility service, an e-scooter sharing network, is imminent. This is a potential game-changer for Kosovo’s capital, which should help reduce traffic and air pollution even more.