Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100 • Hacker News Board

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#271

Post by imustbeevil » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:31 AM UTC

catalogia wrote: post #258

logifail wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I can see personal e-scooters as being a great alternative to cars for [...] taking the kids to school If it's close to 5km, are you really going to take the kids on scooters? If it's closer to 1km, how about simply walking? Reality check: we have two (of three) kids in school, their walk to school is just over half a mile, they both walk more or less every single day, in summer and winter and in the rain and the s…

When I was a kid I used to ride my leg-powered bicycle three miles to school. 5km on an e-scooter doesn't seem that far different. That's really not a long distance at all.

You need a drivers license for the dockless scooters, so there's no way for a child to legally ride one.

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#272

Post by hyperdunc » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:32 AM UTC

itqwertz wrote: post #270

Good! These scooters are at best a novelty and at worst a potential vector of serious injury. I know at least three people who have been injured through recklessness or malfunction. They also tend to be dirty. They’re a nuisance in populated areas like San Diego (where I love). People already act as if no one else is on the road with cars and bikes. Scooters appeal to (inner) children, and they can really bring out t…

I think they're great. The issue is that most places don't have the infrastructure for them. Bicycles and scooters should have a dedicated path so people don't have to ride them either on the road or the footpath.

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#273

Post by xwowsersx » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:34 AM UTC

tzs wrote: post #269

xwowsersx wrote: post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does displacement mean here?

How far the destination of his final trip of the day is from the start of his first trip of the day.

Sorry, I'm slow I still don't get it. Zero displacement then means he's doing straight round-trips where he's going back to where he started? If so, why does that matter? I'm missing something basic here.

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#274

Post by 9HZZRfNlpR » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:35 AM UTC

angmarsbane wrote: post #267

bobthepanda wrote: post #152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The major issue for me with biking, particularly e-biking, is that it can be very expensive if your bike is stolen. Secure bike parking is hard to come by in many places, and even secured bike parking can be broken into. In my city it's also very hilly, so I've taken a rideshare bike down the hill but not up it. Docking also solves this problem, but the problem with docks is that they have to go through whatever NIMB…

I'd take my bike everywhere if I knew it'd still be there after I finished having lunch, visiting friends, grocery shopping etc. As it is though, my bike isn't even safe chained up in a locked garage.

What's going on in America if absolutely everyone is afraid if theft? Or are the bikes just big target?

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#275

Post by matmann2001 » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:41 AM UTC

After all the lobbying they did in my city to get a helmet law exemption and then to get the city to install designated scooter parking and no-go zones...

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#276

Post by mixmastamyk » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:46 AM UTC

giobox wrote: post #114

jeffnappi wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think e-bikes in certain markets will be profitable as a division of bigger organizations like Uber/Lyft. For example I spent $6 on two JUMP bike rentals last night to get to and from a Meetup. It was convenient and the bikes did the job handily. As a company that only does the bike share, I don't think they will be able to compete with the likes of Uber/Lyft etc.

I used to be bullish on ebikes for commuting, until I started buying secondhand ones barely a few months old on craigslist at steep discounts for my own family. In every case, the owner had a change of heart and switched to a scooter. Why? Because the ebike is huge and heavy, needs dedicated locking, parking etc. Often there isn't room for it on the bus/train. They all found the scooter way better for last mile style…

Unfortunately scooters are more dangerous, the little wheels and high center of gravity means eating concrete is more likely than a bike.

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#277

Post by derefr » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:53 AM UTC

9HZZRfNlpR wrote: post #274

angmarsbane wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd take my bike everywhere if I knew it'd still be there after I finished having lunch, visiting friends, grocery shopping etc. As it is though, my bike isn't even safe chained up in a locked garage.

What's going on in America if absolutely everyone is afraid if theft? Or are the bikes just big target?

It's just bikes. Mostly because they're valuable+standardized enough to be easily fenced, and yet not high-value enough for police to bother investigating. It's like leaving MacBooks sitting on street corners.

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#278

Post by abduhl » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:56 AM UTC

holler wrote: post #252

bransonf wrote: post #42

Does 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…

Very simple, have you ever rode a scooter? Once I took a ride along the beach in Southern California, it was immediately obvious, and, I was hooked! It's a disruptive, perfect combination of technologies, that immediately antiquates riding a bike for short distances. The main problem is that it's too good, and people with poor balance, poor judgement, or bad luck, have been in accidents which ruined it for everyone e…

It's been a while since I hit a buzz word bingo while browsing a HN comment thread.

I've got "disruptive," "obvious," the free space in the middle, "synergy" (which I'm counting combination of technologies for), and "ride-share".

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#279

Post by lostsock » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:56 AM UTC

I used a Lime scooter in Brisbane Australia when I there for a wedding last year, it was a great experience. Easy to find, quick to get around, convenient and inexpensive.

Saw both tourists and locals using them and they were always placed neatly and out of the way.

The weather in Brisbane means they'd be in use pretty much year-round, such a great idea!

Re: Lime shuts in 12 markets, lays off around 100

#280

Post by look_lookatme » Fri, Jan 10, 2020, 12:56 AM UTC

robrenaud wrote: post #169

Hasz wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ah, but public transit is inherently the slowest option. I have no desire to make 10 stops before I get where I'm going. I also have zero desire to rent my modes, as that encourages literally rent seeking behavior. Either we need to figure out how to drop off and pickup passengers at speed, or penalize individualized transport that is space inefficient (like cars). Good luck pursuing the latter in the US; punitive me…

> Ah, but public transit is inherently the slowest option. This isn't true if you are in a dense city with good public transit. This is currently mid day (3 PM), and it's about 30% faster (21 minutes vs 29 minutes) to go from my current location in Manhattan to a bar I enjoy hanging out in Brooklyn via public transit than car, according to Google Maps. It would be even better around rush hour.

Not true at 10pm but good on your for getting a 3pm drink going.