[ChiragM]

Electric scooters are taking major US cities by storm, boosted by a huge rise in demand and additional funding.

These scooters first came into California and were deployed in the cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. The companies responsible for this are three start-ups - Bird, Spin and LimeBike. The idea behind it was to provide last mile connectivity to commuters. Users can download the respective apps and rent these electric scooters to take them home. The app would direct them to the assigned scooter and unlock the vehicle remotely. After the ride, the users can simply leave them at the destination and forget about it.



The scooters are available on rent at a price of $1 along with an additional charge of 10 to 15 cents per minute to run them. This makes them significantly cheaper to use when compared to taxis and other ride-sharing services. At night, the companies employ people to find these scooters and charge them. They get paid between $5 to $20 per scooter, allowing some people to earn additional money over their regular jobs.



However, there are a few issues as well. The cities have now been found to be littered with electric scooters. Users leave them on sidewalks, in front of driveways and in front of access ramps for the disabled. This is hampering walking on the streets and restricting access for the disabled. The electric scooters, which can travel at around 24 km/h, are often found to be zooming on the sidewalks putting pedestrians at risk.



The start-ups are using the same strategy that Uber and Airbnb used. They came into the market when there were no specific rules and established themselves. With increasing popularity amongst the masses, they forced the local authorities to come up with regulations that allowed them to ply in the cities. City councils having been taken aback and are now trying to restrict the running of these scooters after receiving many complaints from residents. The city of Santa Monica, where Bird is based, filed a criminal complaint against the company and its founder, Mr. Travis VanderZanden, for running without a proper license and not complying with citations. Bird ended up paying a settlement. Mr. VanderZanden earlier worked for Uber and Lyft.

Meanwhile, the start-ups are also claiming to do their bit to reduce the menace. They have asked riders to park the scooters at designated places and be considerate to others around them. Bird is proposing asking the customers to send a picture of the parked vehicle after they finish using it. They are also providing customers with helmets, while at the same time, pushing for a removal of the helmet rule for electric scooters.



Even with the backlash against these companies, they are continuing to become more and more popular. They are expanding to other cities like Austin and Washington D.C. The problems with the city councils are also emerging in these cities.

However, investors see a successful business model in these companies after witnessing the success of Uber and Lyft. Bird has now raised $300 million in new funding, bringing the value of the company to $2 billion. Some of the major investors are Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners.

Sources: NY Times 1, 2; Electrek, Bloomberg

Link to the Team-BHP News

[TejasKinger]

On the flipside, there's also this: A story of vandalism and chaos in San Francisco.

While these electronic scooters claim to solve the problem of last mile connectivity, they have added to the chaos on pavements with riders dodging and overtaking pedestrians, scooters being randomly dumped in places they shouldn't be.

But what is more heartbreaking is the vandalism. These scooters have had their handlebars broken, brake cables clipped, some of them have been hot-wired.

Here's a report from CNET on this: https://www.cnet.com/news/the-mad-ta...COS-05-10aaa0j

PS: Some of the images in the article may be rather gross.

I wonder what is the mentality that leads people to treat property such as this in such a disrespectful manner.

Here's a user's perspective on these services: https://blog.producthunt.com/we-trie...o-bb766abd0a96

[ChiragM]

Originally Posted by TejasKinger

On the flipside, there's also this: A story of vandalism and chaos in San Francisco.

But what is more heartbreaking is the vandalism. These scooters have had their handlebars broken, brake cables clipped, some of them have been hot-wired.

I wonder what is the mentality that leads people to treat property such as this in such a disrespectful manner.

This is what I would have expected if these scooters came to India

I am sure some of the scooters would have been stolen. I wonder how these start-ups manage such issues as these scooters are not cheap to repair/replace.

[GTO]

Mod Note: Thread moved to our 2-wheeler section

Originally Posted by ChiragM

I wonder how these start-ups manage such issues as these scooters are not cheap to repair/replace.

I read somewhere that they used to repair these before. Now, they simply replace. When your bank accounts are filled to the brim with VC money, budgeting goes out the window.

[ads11]

So I recently got back from visiting a friend in LA where I came across the ubiquity of Bird's. At first I wasn't aware till I realised these scooters were what my friends were referring to. They're littered around the UCLA campus unsurprisingly, proving a favourite for the students. In my experience though I rarely found one that had more than single digit charge on it's battery. Also I found a fair few vandalised actually, for example someone stubbed a cigarette on the NFC panel ("some people just want to watch the world burn"). Much to my chagrin I stepped in dog poo not realising someone had let their dog poo all over another Bird (honestly, some people). (I used to wonder if the whole 'we can't have nice things' argument was something really endemic in India but honestly there are ungrateful people the world over who just want to spoil a perfectly nice thing for the sake of it).

Anyway, actually using the scooter was quite simple really. They can get up to a fair clip too so I can totally imagine it being a bit risky. I had to tiptoe through a busy area like Venice Beach. A lot of places there are clear signs (eg within the UCLA campus actually in some parts) that ask these scooter riders to dismount or use the actual road instead of the pavement (though I must add the same notice applied for regular cyclists and skateboarders).

To answer the question about what's to stop them being stolen or just left anywhere I can relate to another start up here in the UK: Mobike. It's a chinese start up that essentially has bicycles that you can unlock and use right off the street (rather than those awful docking stations for Boris Bikes in London). The way Mobike ensures that riders don't leave the bikes anywhere, especially within a gated apartment complex, is they operate a points system like on one's driving license. The bikes are GPS tagged so if the app detects you've left the bike in your flat for example, you'll lose all points and be banned from using the Mobikes again. In fact lift one of these bikes and an alarm goes off. So far I haven't seen any vandalised. Thus Mobike can have a couple of staff in a van go around Manchester and pick up Mobikes and redistribute them to busier areas.
(I must add though that the actual Mobike itself is almost as dire as a Boris Bike).

https://mobike.com/uk/

[gautamkhadse]

Originally Posted by ads11

So I recently got back from visiting a friend in LA where I came across the ubiquity of Bird's. At first I wasn't aware till I pp detects you've left the bike in your flat for example, you'll lose all points and be banned from using the Mobikes again. In fact lift one of these bikes and an alarm goes off. So far I haven't seen any vandalised. Thus Mobike can have a couple of staff in a van go around Manchester and pick up Mobikes and redistribute them to busier areas.
(I must add though that the actual Mobike itself is almost as dire as a Boris Bike).

https://mobike.com/uk/Attachment 1775121

Interesting that you brought this up .

Mobike has already started operating in Pune. Currently its only servicing limited areas, but they have started operations.

The biked look pretty attractive compared to the PEDL cycles.

The USP of these bikes being, that these bikes have airless tires, so no punctures to worry about.

On another note, I do see people vandalizing PEDL cycles also. Often see cycles abandoned in the middle of no-where with seats broken or stolen completely. It would be pretty interesting to study this behavior that some people display, of destroying something as useful and convenient as this. It could also be the disgruntled public transport providers like auto drivers or rickshaw drivers who could be doing this. But the only way for them to survive is to evolve with time and not try and destroy these things because these services are here to stay.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by TejasKinger

On the flipside, there's also this: A story of vandalism and chaos in San Francisco.

There was a Vice video last month on this phenomena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2SK_60VpHs

[ads11]

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

The USP of these bikes being, that these bikes have airless tires, so no punctures to worry about.

From personal experience of a Mobike, it's rather cumbersome, though not as heavy as a Boris Bike for example. I understand the need for the manufacturers to have to make all the components extra robust. In Mobike's case they've rather interestingly gone without a traditional chain, instead having a shaft driven mechanism, which I was told was their belief to be more robust in the long term. I didn't like how all the hubs are connected only on the left, I felt it drift all too often in that direction whilst cycling.

Originally Posted by gautamkhadse

Often see cycles abandoned in the middle of no-where with seats broken or stolen completely. It would be pretty interesting to study this behavior that some people display, of destroying something as useful and convenient as this.

I live in a university area and most of my friends and colleagues all cycle. Thefts or cycle vandalism is rampant. My ex had her seat stolen whilst she was visiting me once. It was a nice cushioned one she added separately to what was an old second hand bicycle. Suffice to say she had an uncomfortable ride home. I see numerous bikes with handle bars missing, front tyres, you name it. I find it interesting your suggestion of it being auto drivers perhaps. It could very well be. I have a very lowly impression of them, I find them a traffic nuisance, so for them to handicap these last mile connectivity options wouldn't be a surprise to me.

I think I got an email about PEDL. Quite curious about it. Personally I wouldn't cycle on anything but neighbourhood lanes, I have very little faith in other drivers on the main road to risk it in Indian traffic. How has the uptake been though?

[ChiragM]

Originally Posted by ads11

To answer the question about what's to stop them being stolen or just left anywhere I can relate to another start up here in the UK: Mobike. It's a chinese start up that essentially has bicycles that you can unlock and use right off the street (rather than those awful docking stations for Boris Bikes in London). The way Mobike ensures that riders don't leave the bikes anywhere, especially within a gated apartment complex, is they operate a points system like on one's driving license. The bikes are GPS tagged so if the app detects you've left the bike in your flat for example, you'll lose all points and be banned from using the Mobikes again. In fact lift one of these bikes and an alarm goes off. So far I haven't seen any vandalised. Thus Mobike can have a couple of staff in a van go around Manchester and pick up Mobikes and redistribute them to busier areas.

This could be a solution for companies like Bird. They need to find a way to regulate the usage of these scooters. Or else, I don't think these new scooters will last long.

But there is no way to stop non-customers from vandalising these bikes. The dog poo you stepped on is most likely the work of someone who hates these scooters (judging by the video).

Also, I personally prefer walking

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by ChiragM

But there is no way to stop non-customers from vandalising these bikes. The dog poo you stepped on is most likely the work of someone who hates these scooters (judging by the video).

If I was a shopowner facing massive regulations to do anything in front of my store, but I see these scooters abandoned in front of my door, I would be super mad at them. They are taking advantage of the slow nature of city council meetings and passing regulations to deploy these at a very fast pace and raising their valuations. They take all the money they raise and hire lawyers to deal with all the laws they broke. In typical SFO hippie style.

They are all over my beautiful San Diego, and I hate them. The fine restaurant outdoor tables by the ocean now have tons of abandoned bicycles right next to the tables. With people stopping by to pick them up, drop them off, blocking the way. It is the same in the Train/trolley stops. On a game day there are thousands of people getting on and off trains, with these dockless cycles and scooters, it is a huge safety hazard.

On top of this, these companies have hired locals to pick up these scooters and charge them. They pay them well enough that these people sabotage city council meetings, touting them as some breakthrough in personal transport. I have called my senator/representative half a dozen times to ban them till some commonsense regulation is in place.

[gupta_chd]

Curious to know how much each of these cost if one wants to buy? Can we expect these to be available soon in India on buy and use basis?

[GutsyGibbon]

Originally Posted by gupta_chd

Curious to know how much each of these cost if one wants to buy? Can we expect these to be available soon in India on buy and use basis?

If the pavement is clean, I can totally see myself using this from my home to the metro station in Bangalore. It folds clean, and I can easily carry it with me.

Xiaomi Mi electric scooter is $499 on Amazon. It is often sold out though. Has tires with tube, one can have a puncture.
Segway Ninebot ES1 was $499 - always sold out, has solid rubber wheels.
Segway Ninebot ES2 is $699 - always sold out, has solid rubber wheels.

I had considered this for my work commute, for the times when I am too tired to ride the bicycle.