5 ms·

I cycle a lot, but bikes are a pain in that you need somewhere to park them, something to secure them to prevent them getting robbed, they're horrid in the rain

by Slimbo 7y ago

I cycle a lot, but bikes are a pain in that you need somewhere to park them, something to secure them to prevent them getting robbed, they're horrid in the rain and you have to ride on the road or a bike path. I can see the attraction for scooters that avoid these problems, but for the length of journey they're good for, why not just walk?

ses1984 7y ago
How do scooters solve any of these problems? Do you not have to park scooters? Do they not suck in the rain? Do they not need some surface to ride on?
- BurningFrog 7y ago
  The great thing about the scooter is that it isn't mine, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen. That's it. That's the killer feature.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    And a rental bike does not have this feature?
    - phil248 7y ago
      Sort of, but most bike rental places will charge you a fairly hefty fee (some places I know charge around $200-$300). With the scooters, you just have to find a different scooter and continue about your business.
      - ses1984 7y ago
        That's not a problem inherent in the bike or scooter.
  - bsder 7y ago
    > The great thing about the scooter is that it isn't mine, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen. Except that the scooter companies can't figure this out either and are moving to a monthly rental to put the burden back on you. > In April, it announced the launch of a more traditional rental program in San Francisco and Barcelona, in which users could pay $25 per month to rent a Xiaomi m365 from the company rather than paying per ride. The gig economy is about externalizing all the costs, ya'know.
- TulliusCicero 7y ago
  For rentable escooters, the consumer doesn't really have to worry about them being stolen. And they're easier to park than bikes.
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    By park you actually mean litter everywhere, as there are very few designated parking places, much fewer than for bicycles.
    - Notorious_BLT 7y ago
      That's a city planning problem, though. Designated small-vehicle parking that isn't explicitly for bikes seems like a good idea to have. No reason bike storage should be bike-exclusive
      - beatgammit 7y ago
        The scooter companies are free to fund installation. Honestly, I think scooter companies should be fined for any scooters left in a place that causes problems. It's essentially litter, so it should be treated as such. Scooter companies should be providing some means of locking them up securely and expect their users to use them.
    - TulliusCicero 7y ago
      I doubt there were many parking lots when cars were new, too.
  - ses1984 7y ago
    What makes a rentable scooter easier to park than a rentable bike?
    - TulliusCicero 7y ago
      Scooters are smaller.
    - 7y ago
verytrivial 7y ago
I think it simply comes down to average speed. Have a click around https://app.traveltimeplatform.com/ https://app.traveltimeplatform.com/ and assume scooters are more-or-less the speed of cycles.
mason55 7y ago
> but for the length of journey they're good for, why not just walk? I use scooters occasionally and there is a sweet spot in the 30-60 minute walk range. A 30 minute walk turns into a ~6 minute scooter ride (assuming 3mph walking and 13mph scooter). If you're talking about roundtrip then you're saving over 45 minutes by scootering. Sure, if it's a lazy Saturday and I'm just moseying around then I'll walk. But if I'm running to the gym and back after work then it's worth it to me to save those 45 minutes.

by Slimbo 7y ago

ses1984 7y ago

How do scooters solve any of these problems? Do you not have to park scooters? Do they not suck in the rain? Do they not need some surface to ride on?

BurningFrog 7y ago
The great thing about the scooter is that it isn't mine, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen. That's it. That's the killer feature.
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  And a rental bike does not have this feature?
  - phil248 7y ago
    Sort of, but most bike rental places will charge you a fairly hefty fee (some places I know charge around $200-$300). With the scooters, you just have to find a different scooter and continue about your business.
    - ses1984 7y ago
      That's not a problem inherent in the bike or scooter.
- bsder 7y ago
  > The great thing about the scooter is that it isn't mine, so I don't have to worry about it getting stolen. Except that the scooter companies can't figure this out either and are moving to a monthly rental to put the burden back on you. > In April, it announced the launch of a more traditional rental program in San Francisco and Barcelona, in which users could pay $25 per month to rent a Xiaomi m365 from the company rather than paying per ride. The gig economy is about externalizing all the costs, ya'know.
TulliusCicero 7y ago
For rentable escooters, the consumer doesn't really have to worry about them being stolen. And they're easier to park than bikes.
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  By park you actually mean litter everywhere, as there are very few designated parking places, much fewer than for bicycles.
  - Notorious_BLT 7y ago
    That's a city planning problem, though. Designated small-vehicle parking that isn't explicitly for bikes seems like a good idea to have. No reason bike storage should be bike-exclusive
    - beatgammit 7y ago
      The scooter companies are free to fund installation. Honestly, I think scooter companies should be fined for any scooters left in a place that causes problems. It's essentially litter, so it should be treated as such. Scooter companies should be providing some means of locking them up securely and expect their users to use them.
  - TulliusCicero 7y ago
    I doubt there were many parking lots when cars were new, too.
- ses1984 7y ago
  What makes a rentable scooter easier to park than a rentable bike?
  - TulliusCicero 7y ago
    Scooters are smaller.
  - 7y ago

verytrivial 7y ago

I think it simply comes down to average speed. Have a click around https://app.traveltimeplatform.com/ https://app.traveltimeplatform.com/ and assume scooters are more-or-less the speed of cycles.

mason55 7y ago

> but for the length of journey they're good for, why not just walk? I use scooters occasionally and there is a sweet spot in the 30-60 minute walk range. A 30 minute walk turns into a ~6 minute scooter ride (assuming 3mph walking and 13mph scooter). If you're talking about roundtrip then you're saving over 45 minutes by scootering. Sure, if it's a lazy Saturday and I'm just moseying around then I'll walk. But if I'm running to the gym and back after work then it's worth it to me to save those 45 minutes.