[wink]

> A Bird costs ₪5 to unlock and ₪0.5 per minute of use ($1.34 and $0.13).

Wow, I find that pretty expensive.

I don't have scooter numbers for comparison and no idea aboul general cost of living in TLV, but in Munich I pay

- 1 EUR for 30min of rental bike ( negligible yearly cost of 3 EUR/year)

- 2.80 EUR for public transport (1.40 for short trips)

So yeah, the scooter is electric, but are people really using them for > 10minute rides?

Apparently they do.

> The average ride duration was 15.5 minutes.

[tapland]

In Sweden there is Lime competing with the Swedish VOI.

They both charge 10 sek (USD 1.1) to unlock, where VOI charges 0.165 and Lime charges 0.330 per minute.

Bus stops are everywhere and a single ticket costs $2.75 where a 24 hour ticket in the same city zone costs $5.50 (so you always get this if returning), in addition to 25% off any rider in addition to the first on the ticket.

Riding to work (5 min) and back from the grocery store to home (another 5) costs me $5.5 on a Lime, the same as the bus which allows me to ride anywhere for 24 hours, and $3.86 on a VOI.

For any distances longer than that I'd rather take the bus, since it's warm, comfortable and a notably safer ride.

[CaptainZapp]

In Switzerland Lime had to recall their scooters (at least in Basel and Zurich)

This was due to the unfortunate fact that the breaks suddenly engaged in mid ride with partially grave consequences.

It's a bit of a bummer when your scooter schreeches to a grinding halt, when going 25 KM/H.

The potentially bad thing is that your insurer may balk on your claim.

[idoco]

Yes, that is quite expensive. TLV also has Mobike non-electric bikes for about $1 per 30 min.

But take into consideration, that non-electric bikes are not very practical commute option during the Israeli summer (for most people).

Public transport (Bus only) is quite ineffective because of congestion.

[danpalmer]

I was pretty shocked at how expensive they are in London too. Our public transport isn't cheap compared to mainland Europe, but wow there's no chance I'm paying ~£3-5 for a 10-15 minute ride vs £2.90 for a peak tube journey, £1.50 for 90 mins of bus usage, or £2 for 30 minutes on a bike.

[ddalex]

I tested li.me e-bikes in London for the 3 times I had the free start ride (invitee bonus).

The bikes are ok, the electric push helps (you still have to pedal, but it levels out the effort, so going uphill is kind of the same effort as going level), and the convenience of just taking them from wherever and leave them where you feel like is really nice.

But holy shit they are expensive. My commute by bike would be aprox 30 mins, that is 5.5 pounds per ride - the tube is only 2.9 pounds, the bus only 1.5 pounds. A 1-year Santander bike subscription is only 90 pounds, and the ride is almost equally nice.

At 5 pounds per ride, buying a commute scooter would break even in 2 months. To make it worthwhile to ride the electric bikes, the price would have to come in at about half to be somewhere between the tube (which moves you fast, but you have to walk a bit to the station) and bus (which moves slower, but the stations are much closer to your home, usually), at 2.5 pounds per 30 min ride (a bit above Santander which charges 2 pounds per 30 mins, but which are not electric).

[ljf]

When I lived in London (before I got brave/foolish and rode a bike all year round) - I combined a 2nd hand electric scooter and the tube. Scooter was £20 - and in no way would have driven me across London - got a hour tops out of the battery and slowed significantly after 45 mins.

Shooting along to a station and then letting the tube get me the 13 miles across London and then jumping back on the scooter was great.

Downsides:

This wasn't long after the tube bombing and I was stopped a few times to discuss the scooter - was it petrol powered? Was it safe to take on the tube)

It was heavy (this was 2004 and I know they have come a long way)

It wasn't fun in the rain

Stowing it on a train or bus was a hassle (again this was a 2004 model - they likely fold better now)

Had a vague unease that I'd get stopped for either riding on the road or the pavement - potential risks of getting points on your licence.

-

In the end I actually got a Razor push scooter and got nearly the same benefit, but with no charging.

But finally I got a job with room to store bikes, and a shower and never looked back. Far faster than any other option for me, and paid for itself very swiftly (started on a £150 bike, and worked way up to a nicer one in time with the savings I'd made.)