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Curious thought: Disincentivize bad behavior. Scooter companies know who the last user was, so they could develop techniques to apply "parking violations." Whe

Curious thought: Disincentivize bad behavior. Scooter companies know who the last user was, so they could develop techniques to apply "parking violations." Whether that means GPS-enabled (sufficient resolution?) or crowdsourced (next rider taking picture) doesn't really matter. But this is like the automobile equivalent of a parking ticket.

stingrae 8y ago
Skip in SF is sort of doing that. The app makes you take a picture of the scooter in its parking spot when you leave it.
- masonic 8y ago
  But they don't verify that a neatly parked scooter in a photo is the specific one you used.
ravenstine 8y ago
What incentive would Lime and Bird have to do this? I think that'd have to come about through policy being passed in enough cities.
- cortesoft 8y ago
  Right, this is what makes it an externality... Lime and Bird don't care about it, because the cost is born by people who are not customers. They have no incentive to fix the problem unless forced to.
  - beambot 8y ago
    I assume they care about it massively, lest cities drop the hammer a la SF. Also: it's a fun exercise to go back in time and look at all the laws sponsored by automotive & oil companies to create today's car culture (case in point: streetcars). I assure you: there was a lot of protectionism & it wasn't always about the consumer.
- beambot 8y ago
  Fine the offending user on their next ride? Offer discounts that promote good behavior (to avoid unnecessary regulatory over reach)? Experiment in various locations to figure out what method works best? It's an entirely new mode of transportation; there are lots of fun things to try as we refactor our world. That's what startups do.
asdff 8y ago
The first company to do this is the first one that's dead in the water. Right now many users have both apps on their phones since they are functionally identical. Add a con to one, and the userbase will jump ship.

stingrae 8y ago

Skip in SF is sort of doing that. The app makes you take a picture of the scooter in its parking spot when you leave it.

masonic 8y ago
But they don't verify that a neatly parked scooter in a photo is the specific one you used.

ravenstine 8y ago

What incentive would Lime and Bird have to do this? I think that'd have to come about through policy being passed in enough cities.

cortesoft 8y ago
Right, this is what makes it an externality... Lime and Bird don't care about it, because the cost is born by people who are not customers. They have no incentive to fix the problem unless forced to.
- beambot 8y ago
  I assume they care about it massively, lest cities drop the hammer a la SF. Also: it's a fun exercise to go back in time and look at all the laws sponsored by automotive & oil companies to create today's car culture (case in point: streetcars). I assure you: there was a lot of protectionism & it wasn't always about the consumer.
beambot 8y ago
Fine the offending user on their next ride? Offer discounts that promote good behavior (to avoid unnecessary regulatory over reach)? Experiment in various locations to figure out what method works best? It's an entirely new mode of transportation; there are lots of fun things to try as we refactor our world. That's what startups do.

asdff 8y ago

The first company to do this is the first one that's dead in the water. Right now many users have both apps on their phones since they are functionally identical. Add a con to one, and the userbase will jump ship.