Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

futureengine.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

321–330 of 488 posts

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#321

Post by asdff »

cortesoft wrote: post #303
L_Rahman wrote: post #222

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the other responses summarize the problem quite accurately. In fact, I alluded to it when I mentioned the littering of cars. People who park cars believe in an inherent first claim to all roadside space above other users and they are extremely aggressive in their resistance to even the slightest loss.

I think you are being a little unfair to say ALL car parkers feel they own all space next to roads. I am sure some do, but I am a car driver who is happy to give up some space for other forms of transportation. I think there is a happy balance to be found.

You are totally right to say this, but local government is the rule of the vocal NIMBY that actually shows up to council meetings, and makes headaches for government officials not working to their beck and call. Local government exists to appease these ignorant few because no one else votes in the elections.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#322

Post by asdff »

ravenstine wrote: post #245
cortesoft wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the big issue that most people have with them is the large externality of having scooters littered around the sidewalk. In a lot of places in West Los Angeles, you are having to step around them constantly if you walk down the street. People literally just drop them in the middle of the sidewalk, because there is no incentive for them to not do that. This means that everyone who doesn't use the service has to…

I feel bad for people in wheelchairs that have to come to a dead stop for these scooters. I live in Santa Monica and regularly see scooters left flat in the middle of the sidewalk. I mean, what the actual fuck? The fact that so many people that use these services lack any respect makes me hesitate to ride the scooters(and thereby join them).

A big problem with these is how unsteady they are. I've seen them topple like cards in barely a gust.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#323

Post by aantix »

spookthesunset wrote: post #319
aantix wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it exhausting to live like that? Will convenience ever win out for you? This is a serious question.

> Isn't it exhausting to live like that? I always wonder why these kind of folks even bother to visit sites like this at all? Isn't this a tech focused site? Why are you here if you hate advancements in technology so much? It reminds me of all the bitter old curmudgeons on Slashdot back in the day. Every post about advancements in HDD storage or more memory had at least a few highly voted comments droning on about th…

It's a discussion of tradeoffs, and the OP was happy to give me insight into his daily thinking on the topic.

I appreciate him entertaining my questions and giving a sincere response.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#324

Post by redbrickroad »

> The big wild card, though, is whether Uber or Lyft buy Lime or Bird. Uber is talking to both companies about an acquisition so this is not just a hypothetical question.

Why would Uber buy either of these companies? Uber already has JUMP scooters. Can't they afford to create way more scooters than either Lime or Bird?

Sure, Uber isn't one of the two companies who are part of the scooter pilot in SF. Still, I doubt that justifies spending hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars on buying a company.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#325

Post by asdff »

beambot wrote: post #138
cortesoft wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the big issue that most people have with them is the large externality of having scooters littered around the sidewalk. In a lot of places in West Los Angeles, you are having to step around them constantly if you walk down the street. People literally just drop them in the middle of the sidewalk, because there is no incentive for them to not do that. This means that everyone who doesn't use the service has to…

Curious thought: Disincentivize bad behavior. Scooter companies know who the last user was, so they could develop techniques to apply "parking violations." Whether that means GPS-enabled (sufficient resolution?) or crowdsourced (next rider taking picture) doesn't really matter. But this is like the automobile equivalent of a parking ticket.

The first company to do this is the first one that's dead in the water. Right now many users have both apps on their phones since they are functionally identical. Add a con to one, and the userbase will jump ship.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#326

Post by baroffoos »

guelo wrote: post #273
Uehreka wrote: post #27

I live in Baltimore and these things have been awesome. Over the summer and early fall, I used them a lot for trips that were between 3-15 blocks. They were usually less than half the price of a Lyft, were fun to drive, don't directly use fossil fuels and were usually available (in one app or the other) within a block or two of my house. I used them to meet friends for brunch, to pick up my car from getting worked on…

> don't directly use fossil fuels I feel like this is a bit of misleading marketing since a ton of fossil fuel is used to round them up and distribute them around town every day.

A future solution would be having charging ports on streets and have people plug them in after a trip. The scooter/bike can then report back to the server that it was plugged in after use.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#327

Post by asdff »

phil248 wrote: post #278
superfrank wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I love the scooters and bikes these companies provide and I think you make a really good point about them being a positive disruption. It's pretty clear that there is a growing demand for ways to get around other than driving yourself. Lyft and Uber are great for covering distances, but have their issues. In busy metro areas it can often be quicker to walk than it is to drive if you're only going a mile a…

I imagine if more people in the US were willing to reevaluate "too long to walk" these types of scooters would be next-to-useless. Walking a mile or two is easy, healthy and does not take very long.

If its the least bit warm any longer than 15 minutes and you are gonna have some sweat.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#328

Post by baroffoos »

aantix wrote: post #284
0xADEADBEE wrote: post #263

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I must be in a bit of a minority but my main objection to these would be the installation of an app to use them - I am perhaps too privacy-conscious and admit I haven't attempted the signup process but even with a throwaway email address, I'm not comfortable installing it on a device I take with me when I leave the house; I even Uber via the web interface and would probably stop using the service if they hamstrung th…

Isn't it exhausting to live like that? Will convenience ever win out for you? This is a serious question.

Not really. Its the same as people who are vegetarian or people who ride a bike rather than take a car even when a car is so much more convenient for them or people who bring a refillable drink bottle rather than buy a disposable one. Some people are just really driven to support a cause and fight for something they know is right.

If you don't feel strongly about this then thats ok but I think we are all better off that there are people who put the effort in to make society better even if it means personal inconvenience.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#329

Post by asdff »

justinator wrote: post #104
superfrank wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally, I love the scooters and bikes these companies provide and I think you make a really good point about them being a positive disruption. It's pretty clear that there is a growing demand for ways to get around other than driving yourself. Lyft and Uber are great for covering distances, but have their issues. In busy metro areas it can often be quicker to walk than it is to drive if you're only going a mile a…

Privately owning a bike is not cost prohibitive, you know.

I used to bike to work year round before these and I'm not eager to go back. Biking for 2 hours on the weekend is enjoyable, showing up to work sweaty and coming home exhausted five days a week was not. Hills are not fun!

I feel safer on one of these too; the acceleration can be handy in emergency situations where you'd otherwise be barely up to speed on a bike, in the wrong gear, etc.

Re: Lime and Bird are growing rapidly

#330

Post by baroffoos »

spookthesunset wrote: post #319
aantix wrote: post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't it exhausting to live like that? Will convenience ever win out for you? This is a serious question.

> Isn't it exhausting to live like that? I always wonder why these kind of folks even bother to visit sites like this at all? Isn't this a tech focused site? Why are you here if you hate advancements in technology so much? It reminds me of all the bitter old curmudgeons on Slashdot back in the day. Every post about advancements in HDD storage or more memory had at least a few highly voted comments droning on about th…

I like tech. I like programming. Lots of the stuff I see here is quite cool. Liking tech does not mean disregarding privacy. In fact being enthusiastic about tech is almost required to seriously improve your privacy.

A lot of the stuff here is cool open source projects and even the stuff like this thread is still worth talking about even if I wouldn't use the product myself. No point reading only posts and comments I agree with.

Also even though I would never use this product for privacy reasons, I personally benefit from other people using it when the air I breathe doesn't kill me and I don't fear for my life while crossing a road.

Post reply on HN