RIDEGURU
Well, that was quick. Bird and Lime have officially announced that they will cease operations in Raleigh by this summer.
https://abc11.com/travel/scooter-companies-to-leave-raleigh;-blame-imposed-regulations-fees/5222695/
http://www.technicianonline.com/news/article_9c32400c-540f-11e9-93cb-3f6e8d723e72.html
"Despite our efforts to partner in good faith, the city has decided to impose some of the most onerous regulations in the country and unfortunately we cannot continue to operate under such restrictive rules," Lime spokesperson Todd O'Boyle said in a statement to ABC11. "We will continue our conversations with City Council and make a decision about the future of Lime in Raleigh after we consider our options."
"Bird has come to know and love the people of Raleigh who supported shared e-scooters and embraced our environmentally friendly option as a way to not only get around, but to enjoy, town. Even when the City Council's high fees forced us to raise fares, we were encouraged by the loyalty of a growing community of residents who want to see Raleigh be an innovative leader on transportation, economic development and climate policy," Bird spokesperson Sam Reed said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Raleigh city officials refuse to amend their burdensome regulations on e-scooter providers, and it no longer makes sense for us to provide our service under the city's restrictive leadership. Our time in Raleigh must come to a close but we hope to return in the future when city officials are ready to be more amenable to our business and industry as well as the needs of their constituents."
Comments
Oh man, they were just about to open shop in Boston and now this?
They are super careful about it though. Starting with a pilot, and helmets are REQUIRED. So much for the convenience. Not that I don't believe in helmets, it's this sort of barrier that iwll make or break this from taking off.
https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2019/04/01/electric-scooters-brookline-launch
I still think this is too easy of a model to copy. At least the bicycle. Those do not have enough technology element that anyone can just copy and execute super fast. As for motorized scooters and such, then a few can dictate the market and prevail.
City regulations didn't shut down Uber and Lyft for many years. Well, let me rephrase. Cities tried but they didn't listen.
So Bird and Lime should just ignore the authorities again, right?