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Scooter sharing systems have become increasingly popular across the United States as people look for efficient ways to get around. Companies like Bird, JUMP, and Lime all boast dockless e-scooters that make travel simple — but, how safe are they? At the request of Austin Public Health and the Austin Transportation Department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched the first-ever investigation into e-scooter injuries, as reported by CNBC . “We want to identify the risk factors for those who get injured, how severe the injuries are, and why they’re getting hurt,” Jeff Taylor, manager of the Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit with Austin Public Health, told CNBC. Taylor will be overseeing the study, along with three epidemiologists from the CDC. They’ve actually collected their data already, so the study is now being summarized for its final report, according to Engadget . Most people know that new technology always has kinks to work out and the e-scooter...
Privacy battles are playing out across the country but, in California, the next big fight is centered around something you’d least expect. The City of Los Angeles is fighting to obtain data from Uber-owned JUMP’s dockless scooters, as reported by Politico . City officials say they want the data to inform public transit policies and ensure lower-income neighborhoods are being served. However, it seems JUMP won’t be handing over data anytime soon. According to Politico, in a letter to Los Angeles Department of Transportation manager Seleta Reynold, the company claimed this would lead to “an unprecedented level of surveillance, oversight, and control that LADOT would wield over private companies and individual citizens.” Although Uber has had issues with data privacy in the past — recently reaching a $148 million settlement with California over a massive data breach — privacy advocates seem to be siding with the company on this issue. Dockless scooters store a lot more information...
The New York Times shared breaking news from federal health agencies early Tuesday morning (Apr. 13) recommending that the United States put a temporary halt on administering the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine following reports that six individuals developed a rare disorder involving blood clots within two weeks of vaccination. CNN reports that a joint statement from Dr. Peter Marks — director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research — and Dr. Anne Schuchat — principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — was released stating, the following: “[The] CDC will convene a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) on Wednesday to further review these cases and assess their potential significance. [The] FDA will review that analysis as it also investigates these cases. Until that process is complete, we are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of...
Technology continues to evolve, even during a pandemic, as we find more ways to utilize it to our advantage. Created to help reduce traffic congestion and provide a more eco-friendly method of transportation for its users, Verve Scooters offers dockless electronic scooters. It’s also the only Black-owned scooter company that targets inner cities to create pathways of success for people outside of suburban areas. “Verve Scooters came to fruition because we saw a need for an effective eco-friendly way of transportation for our community that was also affordable,” CEO Kevin Thompson, co-founder, Tykeem “Tak” Williams, and COO, Naim Statham, said in an interview with Black Enterprise . Not only is Verve Scooters affordable, but its founders also have plans to utilize the success of their business to serve as a gateway for others. “We plan to start an investment group for young minorities and returning citizens to get into the tech industry and become entrepreneurs,” they said. As they...
As electric bikes and scooters gain popularity across the United States, New York is looking to get in on the trend. State legislators have reached an agreement that would legalize electric bikes and scooters, as reported by The Verge . If passed, the bill — A07431B — would remove the state’s overall ban on e-bikes and scooters. However, individual cities would be allowed to decide how they want to regulate the vehicles. In New York City, people over the age of 18 will be allowed to ride e-bikes and scooters in the streets, unless the city changes that rule, Gizmodo reported . Currently, the bill doesn’t allow people to use the devices on sidewalks. NYC’s Mayor Bill de Blasio seems to be supportive of the bill. “We appreciate this commonsense legislation that clarifies the rules around e-bikes on our streets. Safety for everyone on our roads is our priority, and we look forward to working with legislators and communities as we develop bans to implement the new law,” a spokesperson...
In the world of bike shares, electric bikes are supposed to be the next big thing making transportation easier and faster. However, it’s clear that there’s a lot of kinks that still need to be worked out. Recently, Citi Bike — whose operator, Motivate , is owned by Lyft— said in a blog post that it would be pulling bikes due to “a small number of reports from riders who experienced stronger than expected braking force on the front wheel.” Motivate is the largest bike share operator in the country, so an error with their bikes is no small thing. Excessively strong breaks isn’t what most people expect to hear as the reason bikes are being pulled. However, breaking too hard on the front wheel could definitely cause problems. Overall, 3,000 bikes will be pulled from Lyft’s programs in New York, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco, according to CNBC . Outside of Citi Bike in New York City, Capital Bikeshare and Ford GoBike will be affected by the removals. “We know this is disappointing...
E-scooters and bike-sharing docks are now amongst the many things tourists can see on the streets of Paris. According to city officials, there are about 15,000 free-floating modes of transportation in Paris. Now, the city is looking to tax operators like Lime and Bird. “If these new modes of mobility are of interest – less pollution, non-noisy – they are not without posing real difficulties,” the Paris City Council said on its website. There are 40,000 more vehicles set to arrive in the city and Paris officials are gearing up to push legislation that will solidify the tax on scooter and bike-sharing companies. “The rise of cycling in the capital is a key issue for sustainable mobility, but it can not be done at the expense of sharing the harmonious public space,” Paris City Council said in another post. Paris is also set to create new legislation around parking e-scooters. The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, is currently pressuring the Prime Minister to create new regulations on the...
Scooter sharing giant Bird is laying off about 5 percent of its workforce, according to the Information. About 40 employees in the 900-person company were let go for cost reasons. Bird quickly expanded throughout 2018 and has raised almost $400 million so far. Now the company is scaling back scooter fleets in Los Angeles and other cities. Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden told the Information that the company is now focused more on being fiscally responsible. According to TechCrunch, the layoffs were part of the company’s annual performance review and those impacted will be offered severance and other benefits. “As we establish local service centers and deeper roots in cities where we provide service, we have shifting geographic workforce needs,” a Bird spokeswoman said to the Information. Ride-sharing companies have had scooter and bike companies under their watchful eyes as they look to expand to other transportation divisions. Back in December, Uber was in talks to acquire the company...
Commuting is getting harder and slower as populations increase. Urbanization is having a huge impact on transportation systems globally. Now, Remix — a San Francisco-based startup — is helping cities plan ways to better their infrastructure and cut down on commuters’ strain. Daniel Getelman and his three co-founders Tiffany Chu, Danny Whalen, and Sam Hashemi started Remix in 2014 during their time with Code For America. The four branched out after the program to expand Remix into what it is today. The company’s latest funding round will help Remix assist in providing cities with tools to plan and manage the impact of newer transportation options like ride-sharing, e-scooters, dockless bikes, and autonomous vehicles. “Transportation has changed more in the last 5 years than the previous 50–” Remix CEO Sam Hashemi said in a blog post. “No one knows for sure what’s coming next, but cities have to be ready regardless. The rapid pace of innovation in transportation is altering not just...
Chances are you’ve seen Bird in your city. You might even have ridden one for fun on a beautiful day, or for a quick and inexpensive ride when you needed to get somewhere in a crunch. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like working at the startup transforming the way people get around, we spoke to Rodney Gainous Jr. and Alona King — software engineers at Bird— to get a deeper look inside. Landing at Bird Gainous moved to LA in January and noticed the high number of people riding scooters around town. After a friend finally convinced him to unlock a Bird, he realized how enjoyable the experience was. He further researched the company, reached out to Travis VanderZanden, CEO of Bird, who introduced him to Justin Balthrop, the CTO. Shortly after, Rodney was working on the iOS and Android apps as the youngest and one of the 10 first members of Bird’s engineering team. Alona King began to see Bird as an affordable, accessible means of transportation that was going to completely change the...