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San Francisco to scooter startups: Your customers are terrible

AbsolutEnduser said:
I think what is interesting here is that multiple parties don't care.
I mean, they HAVE to have figured out that people will break the scooters .. even accidentally, by usage (which happens)

That they will be stolen.
Thus, it seems that "VCs don't care". the "bosses using the money don't care". Doesn't it seem that way?? Just "do something" :rolleyes

as far as I've read even company staff doesn't care. It seems initially, all the scooters were put right in the middle of a sidewalk, crosswise, fully in the way of pedestrians, disabled, kids or seniors. ... Staff didn't care but arranged them three-abreast, crosswise.
Then the City pounded on them, and .. they started getting parked on the side, and/or near the curb.

:dunno
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I know at least one of the scooter companies is run by former Uber people, so that explains the culture of not caring.
 
I don't care if people wear helmets or not but people are such asses they regularly ride down the wrong way of a bike path because they can't be fucked to go over one block.
 
Junkie said:
Correct, but SF was looking at requiring helmets on them period.
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Ordinarily I'd say that's a good idea, but considering the way people ride these things, I wouldn't say there's clear evidence that their brains are worth protecting.
 
LakeMerrit said:
The VCs and managers don't care because you're missing the point. They plan on these sort of things to be a money pit. Profitability was never part of the equation. The value is in the disruption. If enough folks use them to put a hurt on the alternatives (ride share, Scoot, etc) then they expect one of the cash strong competitors to buy them out and remove them from the streets. The value is in the disruption of other businesses.
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Shit, I think you’re right.
 
LakeMerrit said:
The VCs and managers don't care because you're missing the point. They plan on these sort of things to be a money pit. Profitability was never part of the equation. The value is in the disruption. If enough folks use them to put a hurt on the alternatives (ride share, Scoot, etc) then they expect one of the cash strong competitors to buy them out and remove them from the streets. The value is in the disruption of other businesses.
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LOL. Good one. Love the explanation!
It's kinda obvious they can't survive on rental fees alone and are burning money with such equipment churn.

And one more thing about the "not-caring". The scooter rentals seem to be founded *literally* against the law. Because their most-obvious customer *would* ride a scooter on the sidewalk AND without a helmet.
... while actually, riding on the sidewalk is forbidden. :rolleyes (Just as it is for bicycles)
... and for scooters, they always require a helmet for some reason. I always read that. Not just < 18.

Weird.
 
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I remember when friends of mine who own GoPed went through this same thing in the late 80's. The cities and state were HORRIBLE to them.
 
Limebike dumped 500 bicycles all over Alameda. These companies like Alameda because it's an island and they thing it represents a microcosm of larger communities and markets. Its annoying. One day they just showed up. No one asked if we wanted these things littered all over the city. They're everywhere. Almost every street corner, middle of the sidewalk, in front of my house, in the estuary, being ridden by the homeless in Oakland.

As a service, people seem to really love it, and I get that. They're cheap and effective. What bugs the shit out of me is that some stupid "start up" CEO decided we needed these things in our community and we had no say. It's a slippery slope. I could see a number of similar "services" popping up all over cities. Pick a mode of transport or anything you can put in a vending machine type enclosure and someone will find something to put in it and rent out.
 
wrt unintended consequences - lol - reminds me of the chinese company that tried to apply the bicycle sharing concept to umbrellas. they invested $1.5M and lost almost all of their umbrellas within the first 3 months. oh hey - that was totally unpredictable. :laughing
 
HappyHighwayman said:
I'd really like to ride one to see how easy it is to balance.
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I haven't ridden any of the rent a scooters, but I've ridden other electric scooters in the same form factor. They're easy to ride since all the mass is down low. Lot of road vibration since the wheels are so small.

They're really hard to wheelie, but it can be done.
 
Butch said:
\

This was a good tweet:
Just passed a guy in the bike lane:
Riding an electric scooter, going the wrong way, on his cell phone, without any night reflectors or lights.
Wearing a hoodie.
San Francisco, I give you your mascot.
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:laughing

So glad I don't have to deal with that bart shit show.

The rental scooters are limited to 25mph so I get the no helmet thing.
 
A fall from standing alone can kill a person though, Bud.
 
Why do you people hate capitalism?
Bunch of commies better quit whining and let the invisible hand of the free market have it's way with you. :afm199
 
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