Ford Acquires Dockless Electric Scooter Startup Spin
Electric scooters haven't made it to New York yet. While I was visiting friends in DC I rode a Lime, or maybe it was a Bird. It was a lot of fun, I zipped around for a few minutes, it was very easy to use and control. One issue was that I was unsure where to place it at the end of my ride. Eventually I put it next to a crowded bike rack, but I could see too many scooters getting out of hand. That said, I would use this everyday for my 2.1 mile commute. That may come sooner than later. Ford has purchased San Francisco-based scooter sharing company Spin.
Spin
Spin currently operates in 13 cities and on five college campuses. Though the company is based in San Francisco, only two scooter companies are allowed to operate there, Skip and Scoot.
This is because San Francisco had 1,900 scooter-related complaints between April 11 and May 23. Issues included unsafe riding and scooters docked anywhere and everywhere.
Scoot On
Scooter sharing is still in its infancy. Where do you dock? Do you use bike lanes? Should companies provide a helmet? Do you need training? Once cities understand how to regulate and educate, they will help with traffic and last mile journeys.
