San Francisco at last embraces the scooter

September 27, 2019

This week, scooter ridership is skyrocketing in Paris, Skip gets locked out of its hometown, and food-delivery robots may soon roam the sidewalks, but first…

Last Call for Micromobility Europe

Can it really be that #MME is only four days away? It’s true. (In fact, the community is already descending on Berlin for a smorgasbord of amazing pre-events.)

Next Tuesday, October 1, we are bringing the global micromobility movement together at Radialsystem in Berlin for a jam-packed day of speeches, presentations, vehicle demos, networking opportunities, and more with industry movers and thought leaders. This will be the largest conference devoted to urban mobility anywhere yet. View the agenda here.

While availability is running low, we still have a few tickets—and one major discount—left.

From now until this Sunday, for every ticket you purchase up to 3, the price per person drops €150.

1x🎟️= €750

2x🎟️= €600

3+🎟️= €450

Be advised, this your last chance to attend #MME at any price.

Important Reminders for #MME

Already have your ticket to Micromobility Europe? Here’s the really important stuff you should know.

  • Time: October 1, 8AM-6PM

  • Tickets: All tickets must be purchased prior to arriving at the venue. Tickets will not be available to purchase at check-in.

  • Badges & Totes: Attendees can pick up their ID badges and tote bags in the lobby of Radialsystem from 8AM to 5:30PM on October 1. For a smooth and speedy check-in, please be sure to complete your registration and assign any extra tickets you may have purchased to individual ticketholders before arriving at the venue. See your order confirmation email for instructions.

  • Speaking Hall: A full schedule of keynotes, panels, and Pecha Kucha presentations will run nonstop in the Speaking Hall from 8:30AM-5PM. View the agenda here.

  • Exhibitor Hall: A selection of leading tech and mobility companies will be showcasing in the Exhibitor Hall, located between the lobby, Speaking Hall, and outdoor area. See below a list of who you can expect to be there.

  • Test Track: Our signature Test Track will be set up on the second floor. Visitors who sign a waiver at check-in will have the opportunity to test ride the latest modals, provided by speakers and exhibitors.

  • Breakfast, Coffee, Snacks: A light breakfast of fruit and granola bars will be available starting at 8AM. Snacks, refreshments, tea, and coffee will also be available throughout the day in the Exhibitor Hall.

  • Lunch: For max flexibility with scheduling, lunch service will run all day long without a dedicated break. There will be five food trucks located on the terrace just outside the venue serving a variety of options, including vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free. Food is permitted in the Exhibitor and Speaking Halls.

  • Social Hour: Beer and wine will be served after the final panel ends from 5PM-6PM. Stick around to meet attendees and partners.

  • Parking: There is no car parking at the venue (very on brand). If you do choose to drive to the event, there is a parking at the Ostbahnhof train station across the street available for €7.50 for 24 hours. But can we recommend biking, riding, car-pooling, ride-hailing, using public transit, or taking advantage of one of Berlin’s many other transportation options instead?

What You Need to Know This Week

  • San Francisco has awarded permits to four companies to operate on-demand scooter rentals: Jump, Lime, Spin, and Scoot (which was recently acquired by Bird). Each company can launch with 1,000 vehicles on October 15 and expand to up to 2,500. | Chronicle

  • Skip, one of two scooter startups that is currently allowed in San Francisco, did not receive a permit for the next phase, but it did close an undisclosed amount of funding from Toyota AI Ventures. | Axios

  • In less than one year, electric scooters have reached 2% modal share in Paris. | Carbone 4

  • Gogoro has unveiled Viva, an ultralight, midrange moped for city-dwellers that weighs 176-lbs (80-kgs) and can travel about 53 miles (85 km) on a full battery. Related: The Taiwan-based company is also rolling out larger battery-swap stations across its home country. | The Verge

  • In the first half of 2019, ebike sales in Germany grew over 37% compared to the same period in 2018. | Bike Europe

  • Lime has pulled the plug on LimePod, its free-floating car-sharing pilot in Seattle. | GeekWire

  • In a multimodal overhaul, Lyft has made bikes, scooters, public transit, and car rental options available in its iOS app. Related: Lyft also integrated bike lane data into its app this week. | TechCrunch

  • Postmates is partnering with Phantom Auto to bring teleoperation to its sidewalk food-delivery robots. | Forbes

  • Miami-based Bolt is making two of its fleet models, the BoltChariot and the BoltOne, available for purchase. Owners can earn extra income by renting their personal scooters back to the Bolt fleet. | Bolt

  • In an op-ed, the president of Scoot, Michael Keating, pegs the size of San Francisco’s parking crater as equal to the Presidio. On-street bike corrals on the other hand… not so big. Related: The legendary Donald Shoup has penned a takedown of parking requirements. | Smart Cities Dive

  • A new startup called Lacuna has emerged to help cities integrate MDS into their existing data management systems. | The Verge

  • In damn news: Almost three-quarters of San Diego’s scooter-related complaints are lodged by the same 10 people. | City of San Diego

  • Acton will showcase its new swappable battery system, the M Pro Topswap, for the first time next week at—where else?—Micromobility Europe. Don’t miss out. | Acton

Goings On

Is North America the next frontier in e-moped sharing? Recent developments suggest maybe yes.

Just in time for this moment, Invers will host a webinar to examine the business case of moped sharing in North America and share insights into how participants can start their own moped-sharing service. Join them on October 4 from 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM CEST.

Register here, space is limited.

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