Re: Make helmets mandatory - oh wait, we can't
In my experience the vast majority of cyclists are fine and generally play by the rules. Yes, there are always some knob jockeys who are going to endanger themselves and others. But they'll probably do this with whatever form of transport they're using, so it's not much basis for policy.
Back to the hipsters on VC-funded toys: these are very cheap to make in China and have a builtin collection & recharge business model. From The Economist last year:
Another aspect of the model is that people can make money by charging them. Freelance “bird hunters” pick up scooters with empty batteries and plug them in at home. The startup pays between $5 and $25 per vehicle charged, depending on how hard they are to find (the locations of “dead” scooters are shown in another app). Charging mostly happens at night and the vehicles must be back on the street in specified locations before 7am the next day. That Bird and other firms can outsource this activity explains why they have been able to launch their services so quickly in so many cities.
Clearly an unsustainable bit of arbitrage but should run long enough to qualify as "blitz scale" which will bring an exit either through an IPO or takeover, and more savers will find their savings have been whizzed away.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
