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> In many cases, it's a combination of cost, friction of setting up an app and account, and fear of something going wrong and being fined (for example, parking
by manuelabeledo 4y ago
> In many cases, it's a combination of cost, friction of setting up an app and account, and fear of something going wrong and being fined (for example, parking the scooter out of the operating zone).
I would add that scooters, as urban means of transportation, require a set of extremely specific variables to be successful, e.g. cities with a degree of walkability that would both enable people to go longer distances, with streets that would accommodate the use of scooters, and where bikes aren't already widely adopted.
Cities in the US aren't usually great for scooters, as most are designed around car usage. In Europe, my perception is that bikes and public transportation (buses, trains), are already better and more convenient than scooters.
Anecdotally, my experience in both the US and Europe is that scooters are mostly aimed at younger people and short term tourists, and in cities with bikes available to the public, there is really no use for them.
- staticassertion 4y agoI've only lived in 3 cities long-term. SF, Boston, NYC. Scooters seem viable for all 3, and all 3 have successful bike rental options already.
- harambae 4y agoMassachusetts banned scooters (just like they did Uber for a long time until overwhelming complaints made them change) SF has Lime scooters and they seem popular. I rode one yesterday. I have no idea about NYC. It might be too dense at least in Manhattan. [0] https://www.sweeneymerrigan.com/blog/massachusetts-scooter-laws/ https://www.sweeneymerrigan.com/blog/massachusetts-scooter-l...
- manuelabeledo 4y agoThey might be, but I don't see any added value that bikes don't provide already. Also, these are three of the largest metro areas in the US, and likely the three most walkable cities in the US. Penetration would need to be way higher for the business to actually scale.
- staticassertion 4y ago> but I don't see any added value that bikes don't provide already. Really? There's a motor. So it can go faster, accelerate more quickly, and you can go longer distances. > Penetration would need to be way higher for the business to actually scale. Why? If you have those 3 cities you're already dealing with 10s of millions of potential customers.
- manuelabeledo 4y ago> Really? There's a motor. Rental bikes may also be electric. Madrid does this very effectively. > If you have those 3 cities you're already dealing with 10s of millions of potential customers That would be the 100% penetration scenario, which is not realistic by any metric, especially in Boston and NYC where they already have strong and efficient public transportation networks.
- staticassertion 4y agoOK when you say "bike" I don't think "electric bike". If you're saying "electric scooters are not better than electric bikes" I don't really disagree.