have to laugh at this. The touristy areas are indeed packed with them. you can't even see the floor on 3rd street promenade because it is now covered in five companies' scooters. Maybe you see a couple in the silicon beach (which is not around snapchat house, and neither on the beach anymore). but actual places you'd call Los Angeles? none.
I’m not a huge fan at this point, but I’m trying to not be too closed minded about them. They seem to serve a purpose, but I’m getting annoyed with people scootering on the sidewalks and it added to our already dirty / littered streets.
On a health note, I’m amazed at how many people use them without helmets (basically 100% of people I observe). Given what we know about brain injury and trauma in 2018, I’m shocked people put their brains at such risk to just get from point A to point B slightly faster. Walking in LA feels dangerous enough to me at times with inattentive drivers, let alone adding some additional speed to any potential impact.
https://dailybruin.com/2018/04/08/ucpd-to-crack-down-on-elec...
I can see how they'd be useful on the hills at UCLA!
those things are hardly transportation for people that live walking distance to work. it wont replace anything but the $3 to $5 lyft/uber ride.
The only advantage I can see bicycles having over the scooters is not being "dead" due to battery issues, but plenty of other things can also take bicycles out of commission. They also take up more more room and can't be packed as close together.
if not, scooters should have external ports for BYO power.
The $3-5 crowdcab... what we're really talking about here is the last mile, and it's been enough of a subject of conversation that it's not a market I'd estimate low lightly.
Also, West LA contains enough people who are doing other phases of life besides school or touring that there's no way everybody who's using the scooters on/around my block is a student or tourist.
Would something like that be feasible?