No, pogo-sticks are not the new e-scooters

June 13, 2019

This week, Vancouver leads North America in biking, Jump debuts a tough new scooter, and that pogo-stick startup from Sweden is (probably) just a marketing stunt, but first…

Spring (Special) Is Ending

The last day of spring is almost here: Friday, June 21 🍃

And the last day of Spring Special pricing for Micromobility Europe is almost here too: Friday, June 21 💸

Buy your tickets now while this deal lasts and save €350 on the price of admission.

Then join us in Berlin on October 1 for a full-day summit devoted to the future of mobility, featuring thought-leading speakers from Uber, Bird, Jump, Voi, and many, many more.

See you there.

Airwaves 🎧

Exclusive audio from the most recent edition of mMeetup, the monthly members-only call with Horace Dediu, is now available in podcast form. Listen here.

In this episode, find out why micromobility meets Clayton Christensen’s classic definition of disruptive innovation, while AVs and EVs... not so much.

Want to be to be a part of the next mMeetup and have the chance to ask your questions about the future of mobility directly to Horace Dediu? Sign up for Triple M below 👇

P.S. Triple M members also get a €50 discount on tickets to Micromobility Europe—plus other perks.

What You Need to Know This Week

  • It’s official: Bird is acquiring Scoot, paving the way for the company to operate on-demand scooter service in San Francisco and Barcelona. | TechCrunch

  • Ten companies have been selected to take part in Chicago’s four-month e-scooter pilot: Bird, Bolt, gruv, Jump, Lime, Lyft, Sherpa, Spin, VeoRide and Wheels. | Chicago Tribune

  • Remember that viral pogo-stick-sharing startup from Sweden? Turns out its founder is an ad guy who specializes in stealthy earned-media campaigns. (FWIW, he insists the bounce-based mobility company, which is called Cangoroo, is the real deal.) | FastCo

  • Could driverless vehicles make cities more congested? A new university study from Switzerland finds that their ease and flexibility might actually encourage people to travel more miles by car. | SwissInfo

  • Dropping the Ford GoBike branding, Lyft has renamed its Bay Area bike-share program Bay Wheels and launched a distinctive-looking pink-wheeled e-bike. | Engadget 

  • Uber unveiled a new edition of the Jump e-scooter that is heavier, more durable, and better at braking. | The Verge

  • A short doc shows how Amsterdam is able to eliminate 1,500 parking spots a year without controversy. | CityLab

  • Paris is considering a raft of new restrictions on scooter-sharing, including culling the total number of operators from 12 to two or three. | TechCrunch

  • As part of its plan to sell one million battery-electric and fuel-cell cars by 2025, Toyota is partnering with Subaru on a new electric vehicle platform. The automaker also shared designs for a trio of LEVs. | Jalopnik

  • In Vancouver B.C., the number of people who commute to work by bike has almost doubled in five years, making the city the North American leader. | FastCo

  • An entrepreneur is donating 10,000 discarded Chinese bike-share bikes to schoolchildren in Myanmar. | TechCrunch

  • A new report confirms there is a glitch with the Segway Ninebot ES4, a popular e-scooter with fleet operators, that allows it to exceed local speed limits. Another vehicle that famously experiences this problem is the car. | Consumer Reports

Goings On

Announcing TechCrunch Mobility - July 10 | San Jose, CA

Waymo, Ford, Scoot, and more will all be speaking at TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility. Network with mobility leaders and discover the latest tech innovations at this single-day event. Buy your tickets today and save 15% on tickets with promo code MICRO.

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