4 ms·

I've noticed a significant drop in the availability of scooters where I live (a major European city) over the past year or so, including Bird exiting the market

by Zak 4y ago

I've noticed a significant drop in the availability of scooters where I live (a major European city) over the past year or so, including Bird exiting the market. Prices have increased substantially, and high-use subscription plans have disappeared. I wonder how much of that is a change in regulations, and how much is the end of early price competition that was never sustainable.

jeffbee 4y ago
It's all the second thing. The economics never made sense. It doesn't have one damned thing to do with "onerous regulations". It has to do with bird losing $300 million on revenues of $70 million.
- oceanplexian 4y ago
  I don’t know.. it’s a little bit of both. The scooters are super convenient when you can park it anywhere, the whole idea of micro-mobility actually works and is more convenient than taking an Uber or a Lyft. It’s also the most fun you can have with $3 in a city. In theory it cuts down on unnecessary car traffic, and you don’t have to get sweaty on a bicycle. The problem is, cities started forcing by the scooters to add arcane geofencing rules requiring you to park it or pick it up far from your origin or destination. That sort of ruins the whole point of the scooters.
  - 908B64B197 4y ago
    I remember not being able to drop one at a park. A pedestrian-friendly space with a huge bike rack where I could get the scooter in a location where it wouldn't obstruct the sidewalk. But some bureaucrat decided parks were off limits. Had to drop it on the sidewalk next to said park.
xenospn 4y ago
It was never a viable business model. This is just a byproduct of VCs looking to create a bag and offload it to a bigger fool. The scooters themselves are just a random product mutation that will not survive.
skeeter2020 4y ago
These companies (and there are several undifferentiated players) are now at a point in their development where the pressure to lose less money or (gasp!) potentially make money must be increasing dramatically. I can't imagine there's much of a lock-in for current or previous users though, so as prices increase I'd bet demand decreases dramatically. There's also no real novelty anymore, unless it's tourists from a smaller center that doesn't have scooters.

by Zak 4y ago

jeffbee 4y ago

It's all the second thing. The economics never made sense. It doesn't have one damned thing to do with "onerous regulations". It has to do with bird losing $300 million on revenues of $70 million.

oceanplexian 4y ago
I don’t know.. it’s a little bit of both. The scooters are super convenient when you can park it anywhere, the whole idea of micro-mobility actually works and is more convenient than taking an Uber or a Lyft. It’s also the most fun you can have with $3 in a city. In theory it cuts down on unnecessary car traffic, and you don’t have to get sweaty on a bicycle. The problem is, cities started forcing by the scooters to add arcane geofencing rules requiring you to park it or pick it up far from your origin or destination. That sort of ruins the whole point of the scooters.
- 908B64B197 4y ago
  I remember not being able to drop one at a park. A pedestrian-friendly space with a huge bike rack where I could get the scooter in a location where it wouldn't obstruct the sidewalk. But some bureaucrat decided parks were off limits. Had to drop it on the sidewalk next to said park.

xenospn 4y ago

It was never a viable business model. This is just a byproduct of VCs looking to create a bag and offload it to a bigger fool. The scooters themselves are just a random product mutation that will not survive.

skeeter2020 4y ago

These companies (and there are several undifferentiated players) are now at a point in their development where the pressure to lose less money or (gasp!) potentially make money must be increasing dramatically. I can't imagine there's much of a lock-in for current or previous users though, so as prices increase I'd bet demand decreases dramatically. There's also no real novelty anymore, unless it's tourists from a smaller center that doesn't have scooters.