E-Scooters roll into New York
I was in Southern California and lived through the boom and bust of E-scooters. Personally, I am a huge fan, but there is a long list of pros and cons worth considering.<p>Pros:<p>* Fast to start up<p>* Cheaper than uber<p>* Doesn’t depend on stations, so way more convenient<p>* No worry about keeping an eye on your scooter when you arrive; they were abundant enough that if yours gets taken you can grab another<p>* Genuinely super fun<p>Cons:<p>* Ugly; an eyesore<p>* Often in the way— a nightmare for accessibility<p>* So many companies meant you needed 5 different apps<p>* Vandalized&#x2F;battery theft often an issue<p>* Not good for carrying goods<p>* Kinda dangerous, but then ones that topped out at 12 mph were less worth it<p>* Creeping up in price towards the end to help profitability, which made them also less worth it<p>The overall attitude was pretty split, but most of the people I know who disliked them had never ridden them. They really were INCREDIBLE for convenience. If your trip was 0.5-2 miles, they were amazing. I used them for running to shops, cafes, meeting at restaurants, etc.<p>I think there is a right way to do it, and that way has to include the convenience of leaving them near your destination. Bike shares that use stations are simply too annoying (if you haven’t got the map of stations memorized) to get the general public to catch on. However, they also have to be managed way better than they were at first.<p>Scooters were getting all types of people out of their cars, and they were good at it! Personally I really want the concept to stick around.