Why Everyone Hates E-Scooters

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Script: Marieli Aixa
Editor: Sam Askew
Lead Editor: Matthew Veal
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand

[jamesaulner]

This video would be better titled "Why people don't like Bird or Lime Scooters".

[gorpand]

E-scooters don't suck. People who use them suck. I had an e-scooter already when most people didn't even know they existed. Everything was awesome. But then more and more people started using them and absolutely disregard safety of themselves and others, and this just plain sucks. I blame people.

[samuelrolimdesouzaaraujo]

$0.43/minute is way too expensive for what it is. That’s almost as expensive as taking an Uber..

[Luzian]

"Why Everyone Hates E-Scooters rental companies*" I do hate 'rental' e-scooters, while I love and use my personal one way more than my car now. 200 miles were ridden on it since April.

[digdughijack]

Popular also in the US rust belt where local public transit is almost nonexistent

[simpletrailers]

The biggest problem with E scooters (at least in Turkey), people rent them, drive like maniacs and park them at most inappropriate places

[psypsy]

I bought one in 2021 and used it for going to and from work. It's the fastest way to get around in my city, but I only ride it on bike lanes or actual roads. It's still in warranty and I've only changed a tire once(got tubeless now so it doesn't even matter) but I'm working on getting a motorbike now so that was the gateway to motorized riding for me. That being said, I hate the ride-share ones. People ride them two-up and on the pavement, and they're dumped in the dumbest places.

[janinegaylard]

In the UK they are still popular. Only problem is that legislation hasn’t caught up and reckless speed and lack of safety has made them a real problem

[ghnmtr]

Idk in Polish cities there are lots and lots of them, i'd say that their popularity has been steadily growing since~2018

[Bunny-chul]

I feel like there are two main problems:
1. These are an absolute nuisance in cities that don't have good bike infrastructure, which is the majority of the US. These are fabulous in Scandinavia where there are bike lanes practically everywhere, but they suck here because no one over the age of like twelve should be riding a scooter or bike on a sidewalk, but riding in the road isn't super safe. They also make exponentially more sense combined with good public transportation infrastructure. These are perfect to cut down a fifteen minute walk from your apartment to the train into the city center. They work amazingly as "last mile delivery, " but not so much "whole commute."

2. In general, the US is really bad about sharing things. People don't take good care of things that they don't own. I tend to roll my eyes at most "sharing economy" roll outs How long is it going to be before half the scooters are thrown in the river, or free library boxes are just filled with trash people are too lazy to carry around until they can find an appropriate receptacle? Far too many Americans only behave when they're afraid they may have to face consequences for their actions, rather than doing the right thing out of respect for everyone else. We need a major value shift before we can really have shared resources here.

[cooluser]

The hell you're talking about. They're used all the time in Europe. In some countries these rental scooters even got license plates now.

[AustinCameron]

Think it speaks more to LA's disrespect towards shared infrastructure. They are huge in Florida, people love the e-bike and e-scooter rental stations provided by the city and third party companies.

[TannerValentine]

I think this video is a little misguided -it may be relevant to specifically dockless rental scooters from companies like Bird or Lime, but not at all applicable for all electric scooters. In fact, they have become a widely popular form of personal transportation especially in cities. I can't go a day without seeing a multitude of people riding them.

[allanjmcpherson]

I can clarify one bit of that. Holland is a region in the Netherlands. It's not a synonym. Calling the Netherlands Holland is like calling Canada Ontario.

[ciaranrooney]

Here in the south of France they are everywhere. More importantly they are privately owned. As you said at the end of the video, they are replacing bicycles. I, as a cyclist, prefer to deal with scooters rather than cars, especially suvs, Not everything is a tech start-up, they are a very good alternative to cars in tightly-packed cities.

[moxiemaxie]

In Chicago they still dump them infront of stores, doorways and multiple piled up in the middle of the side walk

[Mir_Teiwaz]

10:08 - You weren't wearing helmets *and* you were riding doubles. Two people on one of those scooters isn't safe.

[Uncle_Smidge]

I don't mind them until staffers place them in the worst spots, like the only accessible sidewalk for our wheelchair and walker users who would otherwise have to go off into the LITERAL ROAD.

[keithhutchins]

I’m in a wheelchair so I hate them. They are laying all over the sidewalks of Seattle in my way.

[danielb.]

i'm a college student at a school that's basically in the middle of nowhere. People have had scooters for as long as I have been here, but this semester it was so jarring when the companies dropped their scooters here (especially against a backgrop of corn fields and horse barns). They litter the streets of campus and people ride them on sidewalks, on the roads, bring them to class to charge them... it's a nightmare! I can't walk anywhere without being narrowly missed by some asshat on a scooter.

I ride a motorcycle and despite motorcycles' reputation, I would argue that these scooters are MORE dangerous. Full riding gear + a federally regulated helmet on a vehicle that makes enough noise and has enough size that cars on the road can see you, vs. no safety gear whatsoever on a silent, super skinny stick that can get wiped out by a pebble in the road.