Ride-sharing came first, then bike-sharing. Now, scooter-sharing is apparently a thing and the streets are getting crazy.
Where were you when you first saw someone jump into the back of a so-and-so's car with a pink mustache on the front? When ride-sharing came along it was this quirky/weird/kinda scary/novel idea and since companies like Uber and Lyft came along it's inspired other commodities to become shareable. Bike-sharing came next, and now it's scooter-sharing. Yes, scooters.
Electric scooter companies are seeing their ideas kicking around on two wheels in cities like San Francisco, Austin and Los Angeles. And scooter-sharing is going off like gangbusters. QZ.com is reporting that startups like Bird Rides are being backed by venture capital firms and being released to run wild on city streets.
Is More Better?
Not everyone is on board, literally and figuratively speaking. City governments and residents alike are having to maneuver around people go-going on sidewalks and bike lanes or overturned scooters left lying around. Since cars replaced horse carriages the evolution of the American street has become more dangerous, naturally, so is adding another option to get around bringing more danger or more timely change to scooting around?
Aggressive Expansion
The argument from said city officials is that adding scooter-sharing to city streets will only bring more chaos to the already jam-packed roads filled with increasingly distracted drivers. And just like cars and ride-sharing and bike-sharing, scooter-sharing is following the formula of act first, beg for mercy later.
Austin and San Francisco have already sent cease and desist letters to companies, noting scooter-sharing has already become a public nuisance (as if both those cities' roads need more nuisances). But will this hold off for long? Just a matter of time before we see hoverboard-sharing.
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