4 ms·

I'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 ago
Massachusetts 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 ago
They 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 ago
      OK 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.

4 ms·

I'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.

by staticassertion 4y ago

harambae 4y ago
Massachusetts 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 ago
They 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 ago
      OK 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.