Can we please just make this (scooters, bikes) public transit?
Not profitable - check
Good for society - check
In need of regulation - check
Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
101–110 of 342 posts
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#102Does anyone actually think this is a profitable market? Electric scooters are expensive, repair and charging is expensive. It’s a seasonal business. Vandalism/abuse is fairly common. In terms of any environmental benefit, I highly suspect more gasoline is being consumed to collect and distribute scooters than the offset of a few last mile transports. I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to m…
I rode Lime-branded scooters in my "global South" town for a couple of weeks. It was a really expensive proposition and I was basically paying for the thrill. But the city (probably wisely) banned them from sidewalks -- when the whole point was to replace walking, not renting a highly vulnerable motorcycle substitute to ride with the cars in the street.
To answer your question: high prices/margins.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#103Okay so how do I get a cheap e-scooter? Or will they just trash the still-working hardware?
They'll be collected and sold through an auction company for liquidation probably or redistributed to other markets.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#104Does anyone actually think this is a profitable market? Electric scooters are expensive, repair and charging is expensive. It’s a seasonal business. Vandalism/abuse is fairly common. In terms of any environmental benefit, I highly suspect more gasoline is being consumed to collect and distribute scooters than the offset of a few last mile transports. I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to m…
Micromobility like scooters are a "first look" experience. The use case is getting from point A to point B: who is first in line in terms of showing the user options to do that?
The first app to be checked for transportation options to point B has a tremendously valuable asset -- it's not just the scooter, but the fact that it's first in line for the demand.
Useful in a world where ridesharing companies and others are duking it out over users. Less so after the dust has settled.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#105Does anyone actually think this is a profitable market? Electric scooters are expensive, repair and charging is expensive. It’s a seasonal business. Vandalism/abuse is fairly common. In terms of any environmental benefit, I highly suspect more gasoline is being consumed to collect and distribute scooters than the offset of a few last mile transports. I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to m…
I can see personal e-scooters as being a great alternative to cars for short trips such as commuting less than 5-ish km to work, or taking the kids to school. However, I still think bicycles are vastly preferable. With a pannier rack you get quite a bit more cargo space, and in the winter, the fact that you're physically exerting yourself helps to keep you warm, which makes for a more comfortable and pleasant trip. A…
I visited Moscow last year, and noticed they have docked scooters: https://www.rbth.com/lifestyle/328422-how-rent-electric-scoo...
Plenty of places have undocked bicycles, so a fair comparison is possible.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#106This has to depend so much on city size. I'm in Milwaukee and they're perfect for here, because with everything so compact in the downtown area, if I'm meeting people to get food, hang out, or even go to Bucks games, it's so easy to get a scooter to get there rather than walk, uber, or the quick rent bikes we have.
I was just in Montevideo and Buenos Aires and we took the scooters in Montevideo, but even that city was almost too big, and also the streets different from what I'm used to making using them in the roads difficult.
As for Lime scooters compared to the other brands, I just pick the closest one to me; I haven't picked a favorite.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Why did the VCs value these as billion dollar companies? Desperation? Because VCs get paid from selling the shares to the public. So as long as a general unsophisticated investor is expected to buy in, it's a good deal for a VC, even if the underlying business model is laughable.
While never having been on one due to no helmets being provided, in Denver and in Dallas and in Austin they arguably revolutionized the city core and how younger people get around. For better and worse. And while not fully diligent on this, isn't Uber still not profitable on a unit economic basis? And they are mature and public. Perhaps that statement isn't true but it provides one justification for investing in scoo…
My impression in Austin is that it peaked last year. Not to say they aren't still common.
To be honest I think there's a possible real business here, but maybe only for one or two companies, and only in cities where they achieve a critical mass. The 4am collecting of abandoned scooters, becomes much more efficient if it's only one company per town, and they are commonly used such that there is much less distance between scooters of a given company.
I suppose that, like for every 1000 1999 e-business there was only one Amazon, the VC's are thinking there will be one or two survivors here who will eventually do well.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#108Lime has the worst bikes on the planet - they are complete garbage compared to the Uber/JUMP bikes (and probably others). The Lime bikes seemed to constantly be falling apart and were actually pretty terrifying to ride. On the other hand, the JUMP bikes feel very robust and I feel safe riding them. I would rather walk half a mile to find a JUMP bike than ride a Lime bike. No wonder they are failing. Source: Rode both…
Strong agreement. JUMP bikes were designed for the hostile environment of vandals and sabotage that exist here. Lime bikes weren't.
I LIKE dockless bikeshare. But the bikes have to be safe to ride.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#109Does anyone actually think this is a profitable market? Electric scooters are expensive, repair and charging is expensive. It’s a seasonal business. Vandalism/abuse is fairly common. In terms of any environmental benefit, I highly suspect more gasoline is being consumed to collect and distribute scooters than the offset of a few last mile transports. I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to m…
>I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to maintain any profitability, and the demand already sucks.
I suspect if you price in other externalities it would be even worse. Those things are flimsy trash that are meant to be utterly disposable. You can barely service or replace something as simple as a broken wheel. If these things ever did actually take off it would have been an ecological catastrophe. For all the waste generated by things like Keuregs, at least they're not going to leach heavy metals into the landfills.
Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100
#110Does anyone actually think this is a profitable market? Electric scooters are expensive, repair and charging is expensive. It’s a seasonal business. Vandalism/abuse is fairly common. In terms of any environmental benefit, I highly suspect more gasoline is being consumed to collect and distribute scooters than the offset of a few last mile transports. I suspect the cost to the consumer would have to double for it to m…
I wonder if the benefit is to shop owners in the area where scooters work. My reasoning: Scooters are a replacement for walking. Shop owners depend on foot traffic. If you can generate foot traffic by reducing the time cost, you can increase shop visits. I do recognize a number of holes in this logic, for instance: is scooter traffic comparable to foot traffic?
For one thing, stopping at a shop when you're on foot is free, but if you want to get back to scooting, you can only park the scooter but not end the rental (otherwise someone else might rent that scooter while you're in the shop), but (AFAIK) Lime, etc, will charge you money as long as the scooter is still being rented out to you.