Charlotte Bike / Scooter Sharing

[kermit]

3 minutes ago, archiham04 said:

I have a hard time believing that the average lifespan is 28 days...  I wonder if the Data is being skewed by the provider to mask their numbers.  Maybe changing the Scooter number every month maybe after it is repaired/refreshed?  

That is a possibility. The data set they were using simply had device IDs in it and they monitored how long each ID was present in Louisville. They did ask the question of what else could happen to the units and did not get a helpful answer from Bird.

I was also surprised the lifespan was so short, but I have seen an awful lot of exploded scooters around Southend so part of me might believe that number.

[kermit]

So I have been worried about the future of bikeshare (in broad terms) as we watch the dockless operators either go under or withdraw from the bike business (Lime) and watch Bcycle continue to get ignored. Much to my surprise Raleigh is just now rolling out docked bikeshare. I think this news is one of two things: 1) a sign that docked bikeshare is still viable or 2) Raleigh is three years late to every trend. I am not sure which.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article227560009.html

[navigator319]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

So I have been worried about the future of bikeshare (in broad terms) as we watch the dockless operators either go under or withdraw from the bike business (Lime) and watch Bcycle continue to get ignored. Much to my surprise Raleigh is just now rolling out docked bikeshare. I think this news is one of two things: 1) a sign that docked bikeshare is still viable or 2) Raleigh is three years late to every trend. I am not sure which.

https://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article227560009.html

Now that you mention this I do not see the bike in Uptown anymore.  Not sure when they went away.  Scooters EVERYWHERE though. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Just over a year ago I posted the first photos here of scooters in Learning from Other Places thread:

 

 

Just returned from three days in Venice California. It is the Ultima Thule of Angeleno bourgeoisie. One interesting sight was the ubiquity of Bird, a dockless electric scooter. Similar to the bikes but less cumbersome on the streetscape. Scooters are less than half the width and length of a bike, and visually far less apparent. Painted black they nearly disappear. Several of them together are not a hindrance. There is a small kickstand.  They were all around and are convenient since this area is nearly flat so electricity caries one a decent distance. Riders are supposed to have a driver license, wear helmet, obey all laws of the road, use only on a street or bike lane, and if you think that happens you would be ready for my nutritional supplement promotion.

The company was started by a former COO of LYFT.

 

[KJHburg]

Please be courteous and spread the word about scooter placement 

https://www.wsoctv.com/news/local/charlotte-disability-rights-advocates-push-to-make-sidewalks-safer-with-e-scooters/930536659

[dylansukkert]

So Saturday I jokenly told a group of people(6 people in there 40’s) you weren’t suppose to ride them on the sidewalks of Tryon. One of the guys thought I was trying to piss them off and wanted to fight me, fun times. 

[KJHburg]

Charlotte based Passport partnering with the city and Lime to monitor parking of the scooters around the city.

https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2019/03/20/passport-partners-with-charlotte-other-cities-on.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=article_du&ed=2019-03-20&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1553109831&j=87348781

[kermit]

so Bird and Lime are both pulling out of Raleigh, citing crappy regulations. On their way out they flipped the city the middle finger and said that ‘Charlotte is better’

https://amp.newsobserver.com/article228528039.html

[kermit]

This 9pm cutoff time thing makes scooters significantly less useful.

[videtur quam contuor]

https://austin.curbed.com/2019/1/10/18177278/austin-vespa-like-scooters-new-ojo

[Matthew.Brendan]

There’s a handful of Vespa’s around Charlotte. It’s my preferred daily commute. 

[SgtCampsalot]

14 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

https://austin.curbed.com/2019/1/10/18177278/austin-vespa-like-scooters-new-ojo

We need this. This would be a huge step toward normalizing non-car travel.

[davidclt]

On 5/14/2019 at 6:33 PM, kermit said:

This 9pm cutoff time thing makes scooters significantly less useful.

Not to mention that Bird and Spin are now $1 to unlock and 33! cents! a minute. My commute one-way went from $2.95 on average to $5.62 (I'll take the train and walk home for that)! I'm done with Bird (whose scooters seemed cheap compared to Lime and Spin) and Spin. Spin couldn't get their customer service in order. Lime so far has the best customer service, the best prices and good enough scooters.

Edited May 20, 2019 by davidclt
Add photo

[tozmervo]

33 minutes ago, davidclt said:

Not to mention that Bird and Spin are now $1 to unlock and 33! cents! a minute. My commute one-way went from $2.95 on average to $5.62 (I'll take the train and walk home for that)! I'm done with Bird (whose scooters seemed cheap compared to Lime and Spin) and Spin. Spin couldn't get their customer service in order. Lime so far has the best customer service, the best prices and good enough scooters.

Out of curiosity, what is the kind of customer service that is needed for the scooters?

[davidclt]

3 hours ago, tozmervo said:

Out of curiosity, what is the kind of customer service that is needed for the scooters?

Well, their apps are mostly crap. Especially for Spin and Bird, their apps don't let you lock the scooter (time is money). Scooters will bill but the app says the scooter didn't unlock (but the clock is ticking). Some scooters are slower than they should be (anything less than 14 mph after acceleration on level ground at full throttle is really unacceptable). When Spin first came to Charlotte, their scooters were calibrated to km/h and they tuned them to 15 km/h rather than the city's speed limit of 15 mph. Once you've sunk the unlock cost and you're on the road, being able to travel 15 mph can save you 2-3 minutes (30-45 cents or now a full dollar) on travel time. I scoot because it's nearly as affordable as a train ride but generally faster door-to-door (the additional 75¢ is worth every penny to save 10-15 minutes of additional train time).

Additionally, a nearly doubling of the cost to ride without notice, is a customer service issue to me.

[lit]

Bird is also paying their chargers considerably less than they were when they first started. They used to be $5-$20 but now they’re almost all $3-$5, not even worth the trouble. 

[KJHburg]

Be careful on these scooters please Atlanta and Nashville have their first deaths both this week.

https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/5/20/18632353/e-scooter-death-infrastructure-improvements-complete-streets      Atlanta 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2019/05/20/nashville-scooter-death-girlfriend-remembers-brady-gaulke-wants-ban/3740405002/    Nashville 

[kermit]

19 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Be careful on these scooters please Atlanta and Nashville have their first deaths both this week.

https://atlanta.curbed.com/2019/5/20/18632353/e-scooter-death-infrastructure-improvements-complete-streets      Atlanta 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/local/2019/05/20/nashville-scooter-death-girlfriend-remembers-brady-gaulke-wants-ban/3740405002/    Nashville 

Their first deaths since they were introduced more than a year ago. How many people have been killed by cars in that same time period?

I am all for being careful, but we need to evaluate risks rationally -- after all, everybody is safer if they never leave their house.

[davidclt]

3 hours ago, kermit said:

Their first deaths since they were introduced more than a year ago. How many people have been killed by cars in that same time period?

I am all for being careful, but we need to evaluate risks rationally -- after all, everybody is safer if they never leave their house.

In addition to assessing risk rationally and not blaming the victims; It's a sad situation for those who survive them. In both cases, it appears they were riding after dark which raises the risk a non-trivial amount I would imagine:

Atlanta: Just after midnight Friday, Atlanta recorded its first e-scooter-related fatality. (let's not even mention the added risks of being out weekend nights late)

Denver: The crash that killed Gaulke occurred . . . around 10 p.m. 

[BullDurhamer]

12 hours ago, kermit said:

Their first deaths since they were introduced more than a year ago. How many people have been killed by cars in that same time period?

I am all for being careful, but we need to evaluate risks rationally -- after all, everybody is safer if they never leave their house.

are we seriously discounting the safety risks?  

i see 100 people scooting a day and never once do i see anybody wearing a helmet.     but since we're being rational, let's use some data.  https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/more-than-60-of-survey-respondents-have-been-involved-in-a-crash-or-near-miss-with-an-electric-scooter/73-8def0d9b-b20c-45d0-8bdd-f99848c382b0

 

"More than 60% of survey respondents have been involved in a crash or near-miss with an electric scooter"

How does this affect your analysis?

https://www.denverpost.com/2019/01/31/electric-scooters-hospital-visits/

this one says scooters are way more dangerous than walking or biking.  shocker.  

[davidclt]

On 5/20/2019 at 2:52 PM, davidclt said:

Not to mention that Bird and Spin are now $1 to unlock and 33! cents! a minute. My commute one-way went from $2.95 on average to $5.62 (I'll take the train and walk home for that)! I'm done with Bird (whose scooters seemed cheap compared to Lime and Spin) and Spin. Spin couldn't get their customer service in order. Lime so far has the best customer service, the best prices and good enough scooters.

As of today, Lime has joined the 33¢/minute club. It's official, I'm back to putting myself at CATS' mercy and riding the train to and from work. What a difference a day makes. Ah, it was good while it lasted. 

[SgtCampsalot]

Well that stinks, but I must stand up for Bird's construction for a second, they have the best feel and handling as they are lighter and easier to take tight turns etc, whereas Lime at their worst feel clunky and cumbersome.

[Niner National]

13 hours ago, davidclt said:

As of today, Lime has joined the 33¢/minute club. It's official, I'm back to putting myself at CATS' mercy and riding the train to and from work. What a difference a day makes. Ah, it was good while it lasted. 

I bought a swagtron scooter that looks like the birds for $250. I have about 120 miles on it so far and seems to have no issues. Unless you just don't want to take a scooter into your workplace its a good option for someone commuting the distance you are going.

[davidclt]

2 hours ago, Niner National said:

don't want to take a scooter into your workplace

Parking is a problem. Also, I'm not nearly cool and hip enough to be a scooter bro in possession of one I own. I've made my peace with riding the train; probably less likely to me permanently damaging my almost half century old body.

[easzman]

From the Charlotte Observer

Lime launched more than 20 electric scooters as part of a pilot program in Ballantyne this week, expanding its popular scooter service beyond the central city for the first time.

Although Lime, Bird and Spin scooters are common in uptown and South End, this is the first time electric scooters will be available in Ballantyne, according to the companies.

The scooters will be available for 90 days, then the pilot could become a full program depending on how often the scooters have been used, Christina Thigpen, vice president of marketing and communications for Northwood Office, a subsidiary of Ballantyne Corporate Park’s owner, said in a statement.

The scooters are allowed — on sidewalks only — around Ballantyne Corporate Park, including on Ballantyne Commons Parkway and Ballantyne Corporate Place. The Golf Club at Ballantyne is off limits.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

I've seen scooters in the Ballantyne area before including someone on a Bird scooter along Community House. Will be interesting to see how this pilot goes and if folks stay out of the bike lanes along Ballantyne Commons Parkway. It's scary how fast some folks drive on BCP.