Put it again the place you discovered it.
A brand new e-scooter rental firm applies the easy doctrine that ruled stray Legos and cast-off backpacks to a rising transportation business. By providing solely round-trip leases, Lama Mobility of Key West distinguishes itself from scooter-share firms in different cities.
You’ve seen them, the Bird and Lime-branded stand-up scooters. They’re in practically 200 cities and faculty cities. Rented with a telephone app, they’re deposited wherever the rider leaves them, then collected nightly for charging. But the free-floating enterprise mannequin faces more and more harsh criticism. In many cities, discarded scooters litter sidewalks, parks and companies, whereas pedestrians complain the scooters declare an excessive amount of sidewalk area.
“The free-floating scooters, like Birds and Limes, are left all over the place; it’s like the Wild West with no rules,” stated Key West hotelier Marc Meisel, who as an alternative developed Lama Mobility as a round-trip rental platform. “Key West is the first location for the round-trip rental model as a proof-of-concept test, but we have plans to expand nationwide.”
Lama-branded e-scooters at the moment are out there for hire on the Meisel household’s three Old Town motels — Santa Maria Suites, Southwinds Hotel and H2O Suites.
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Key West metropolis officers final yr carried out a one-year moratorium on new leisure rental automobile firms whereas they carried out a site visitors research and drafted rules to control the proliferation of electrical scooters, electrical bikes and different autos. There isn’t any moratorium on the retail sale and private use of e-scooters and e-bikes, and an rising variety of Key West residents have bought them. But as of now, Lama Mobility is the one firm allowed to hire the e-scooters, Meisel stated.
“While the city was drafting their ordinance for these recreational rental vehicles, they passed a moratorium on them to give themselves time. But I got my approvals before the moratorium started,” Meisel advised the Keys Weekly final week.
While some metropolis officers have referred to Lama Mobility as a pilot mission for round-trip e-scooter leases, Meisel stated, “It’s not really a pilot program. I’m working with the city and sharing data regarding usage and locations. I don’t have the right to expand it beyond our initial three hotel locations, but the city can’t cancel or remove it.”
Rentals price $8.50 per hour or $35 for the entire day, Meisel stated. An digital locking mechanism permits a consumer to cease and park the scooter at a motorcycle rack whereas having lunch or buying with out the priority that it will likely be taken and utilized by a distinct rider, similar to occurs with the free-floating enterprise mannequin.
“Traditional dockless rideshare programs operate on a first-come, first-served basis and do not provide the rider the ability to pause the ride or reserve the scooter for when they are not riding,” states the Lama Mobility web site. “Hotel and marina guests and cruise ship passengers want to explore their surroundings, often pausing throughout the day to stop for a meal, go shopping, sightseeing or visit an attraction. They need the ability to ensure their transportation is not subject to someone else taking the scooter when they pause to enjoy their surroundings. Lama Mobility provides this while organizing scooters instead of cluttering up sidewalks with abandoned scooters.”
Lama Mobility clients are instructed to park the scooters at bike racks, not on sidewalks, and are to not journey on downtown sidewalks.
Meisel acknowledged the issues and criticism free-floating scooter rental firms face in tons of of cities.
“I know there has been some resistance to these types of e-scooter programs due to their perceived dangers,” he stated. “However, I can’t stress enough that due to the safety measures we have taken, unlike a free-floating program (like Bird and Lime), we require age verification, helmets, and safety and educational training throughout the experience via the docking stations and the cell phone app. This type of persistent education will assist with rider safety and will keep riders off sidewalks.”
The Lama scooters go as much as 34 miles on a single cost, so riders can use all of them day — then put them again on the lodge charging rack the place they began. The scooters’ prime velocity is 15.5 mph, and geo-fencing expertise prevents them from crossing the Cow Key Bridge. Helmets are required and offered on the lodge entrance desks.
The Lama Mobility telephone app requires the consumer to add a photograph of their ID to indicate they’re at the very least 18. They should enter a bank card quantity and watch a security video earlier than their journey can begin, Meisel stated.
“Lama Mobility is a very exciting project for me,” he stated, including that the corporate identify is a mixture of his two youngsters’ first names. “I hope I can do my part in assisting with alternative transportation in Key West that reduces cars on the road and parking congestion while promoting an eco-friendly, fun way for tourists to explore our island.”