In the news...

[The Fat Unicyclist 4,174]

Meanwhile in (not just) New Zealand...

Lime wheels locking up could mark the beginning of the end for e-scooters

"I was heading downhill, sailing over smooth white concrete at about 30kmh, when the front wheel locked up, sending me flying over the handle bars."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/110317293/lime-wheels-locking-up-could-mark-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-escooters 

[Smoother 3,709]

On 2/9/2019 at 6:18 AM, The Fat Unicyclist said:

Meanwhile in (not just) New Zealand...

Lime wheels locking up could mark the beginning of the end for e-scooters

"I was heading downhill, sailing over smooth white concrete at about 30kmh, when the front wheel locked up, sending me flying over the handle bars."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/110317293/lime-wheels-locking-up-could-mark-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-escooters 

Well that was interesting but left more questions than answers; edit, answers in linked article from Switzerland

Reading some of the links from that article I found some very depressing reports, like this one:

http://www.thedrive.com/tech/23254/people-are-vandalizing-e-scooters-in-bird-dropping-fad 

report on vandalism of escooters, for sport and instagram fame.

And this one:

http://www.thedrive.com/tech/26036/investors-cool-as-birds-shared-scooters-hit-speedbumps

reporting that Bird scooters currently last only an average of 30 days due to theft and vandalism, but they take EDIT 90 days to pay off.

And another one reporting on a hacking kit to unlock a Bird scooter for unlimited personal use (I didn't link that one because I don't aid and abet theft.)

Most disturbing is that several cities are tightening erideable laws as knee jerk reaction to irresponsible riding and parking.  This will have an effect on us, the EUC riders.  Where we used to pass mostly un-noticed, we will now be caught up in these new regulations, which will be fresh on every police officers mind, and the rabid end of the general public; eager to point fingers and enforce the law.

 

I must say I didn't get it when dockless rental rideables (bikes and escooters) started hitting the market.  Am I the only one who understands that there is a fringe of the human population that has no respect for any one or anything, and that dropping off unsecured, unsupervised devices around our cities is simply an invitation for these sub human pieces of shit (SHPOS) To go to town?  It only takes a few to ruin things for everyone.  An example, after a long spate of break ins and expensive car thefts (took the keys from inside the house) in one area of London, a gang of 4 or 5 SPHOS's was finally caught.  Burglaries and car theft in that borough went down by something like 65%.  These 4 or 5 ass holes were responsible for the majority of this type of crime in this area.  

Lay a rent escooter on the ground and it wont be long before the SPHOS's of the world will crawl out of the shadows and find some way of causing the owner to suffer a financial loss, purely for their own amusement, or their own financial gain.

I have a feeling escooter rental's days are numbered, unless they implement docking stations like the original rent-a-bike schemes.  As copy cat vandals, thieves, hoarders, impounders and hackers multiply, the costs will rapidly outstrip the rewards to the companies and specifically their investors.  Bird is already facing scrutiny from its investors due to wildly underestimating and reporting damage, vandalism and theft.

Edited Monday at 01:57 PM by Smoother

[Rehab1 12,610]

8 hours ago, The Fat Unicyclist said:

Meanwhile in (not just) New Zealand...

Lime wheels locking up could mark the beginning of the end for e-scooters

"I was heading downhill, sailing over smooth white concrete at about 30kmh, when the front wheel locked up, sending me flying over the handle bars."

https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/110317293/lime-wheels-locking-up-could-mark-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-escooters 

From what I’ve read it was a firmware issue resulting from a recent update designed to prevent theft. Lime is a behemoth in the EScooter industry and have the funds to  easily squelch any negative publicity that would affect their long term business paradigm. 

[RockyTop 1,269]

Reading about and watching people on scooters reinforces my EUC decision. 

[LanghamP 2,453]

1 hour ago, Rehab1 said:

From what I’ve read it was a firmware issue resulting from a recent update designed to prevent theft. 

Goddamnit I was reading your post and of course it's a firmware issue. Electric scooters don't just stop like that unless someone told them to.

There's YouTube videos showing how easily controller boards can be replaced. I suspect theft is a huge problem with all the scooter companies. Maybe 1 out of 5?

 

[Biped Phil 47]

On 2/9/2019 at 9:24 AM, Rehab1 said:

From what I’ve read it was a firmware issue resulting from a recent update designed to prevent theft.

I hope Lime won't go into the airplane business

[Mmhmmm 24]

A couple of months ago, I was in Long Beach, CA. While waiting to cross the main drag (8 lanes including parking), a very big and VERY heavy young dude on a rental scooter shot past me crossing against the sign and then re-crossing again at full speed while randomly avoiding people and cars. Just as the crosswalk sign signalled for me to walk, he was passing me again and I realized that his rear tire was completely flat and he was riding on the rim. I said, "WHAT are you doing!!"

"F~@k it!!!", he yells, and disapears off into the distance.

Hilarious and sad...

[travsformation 392]

Here go a couple of positive EUC-related stories from Spain:

1. A charity event for multiple sclerosis was recently held in Barcelona's motorsport race track. Race categories included running, rollerskates/rollerblades, bicycles and, for the first time, PEVs. A couple of local race-car and motorbike celebrities joined the event riding e-scooters. Attendance was massive, and PEVs, for a change, were able to garner some good publicity  (a fantastic initiative that would be great, in my opinion, to replicate in other parts of the world)
2. An EUC-rider recently made the news for chasing and catching a thief who'd stolen an old lady's phone. The thief, who was on foot, took narrow alleys, changed direction constantly, crossed parks, etc., used to alluding police cars that way, but didn't count on the versatility of an EUC pursuer. He's been deemed a citizen hero and cast a very positive light on EUCs, which, accustomed to the usual PEV-demonising news, is a breath of fresh air