[Fatnino]

Those app rental scooters that are littered around city centers: you pay for distance as well as for time. And that's why they don't go very fast.

[gkoberger]

No, they're legally limited to 15 MPH for safety. You also don't pay for distance, just time. Not everything is a conspiracy theory.

SF: https://www.williamweisslaw.com/sf-e-scooter-laws/ NYC: https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/ebikes.shtml#:....

[CrazyStat]

Also because going fast on those things is fucking dangerous, especially when (like most people riding them) you're not wearing a helmet.

[wpietri]

Absolutely. I don't have a problem with most scooter owners, but here in a city with a lot of tourism, the rental scooters are often a menace. I was waiting outside of a restaurant and took half a step back to let some people through. I brushed against something moving fast, and it was some tall yahoo going downhill at max speed on a scooter. If I'd taken a full step back, somebody would have needed medical treatment.

Learning how to ride one of those in a city takes time, practice, and thought. Which you will surely get if you buy one. But apparently not so for the rentals.

[djbusby]

And have been drinking (it's what I saw a lot of)

[SkyMarshal]

In that particular case another reason could be that they quite reasonably don't want you going very fast for safety and liability concerns.