E-Scooters

Illustration generated using DALL·E 2.

Who would have thought

I never thought I would ever find myself on an electric scooter. In the city we live in they are pervasive, in fact there are no less than three companies vying for business. I also considered them annoying at best and down right dangerous at worst. That was until I actually had a go myself, and now I’m hooked.
So how did this total change of mind come about you might ask. Well, it wasn’t long ago when a friend came over from Stockholm for the weekend and saw that the same scooter company he uses was also running them here in Åbo. So of course he hopped on one and then asked if I’d like to have a try. Well I wasn’t going to wimp out so I duly hopped on and have never really hopped off since.

No worries

What can I say, it’s exhilarating. They are limited to 20kph which personally I find a bit lame but given the number of accidents fully understand. Yes, they are left where they shouldn’t be and no, not everyone rides them as responsibly as they should. But in the right hands and used in the right way they are a city dweller’s dream.
There’s no need to worry about bus schedules, traffic jams or emissions. Just get your phone out, unlock, and ride. If you choose the right ride pass then they are also pretty competitive price wise with the buses. Of course this is sunny weather transport only unless you are a true diehard but summer is here and I have been scooting everywhere.

Cheap trips

All providers have their own app and they are all very easy to use. Just open the app and you can immediately see the location of any free scooters nearby. And even out in the burbs where we live there is always a ride close by. I usually choose a 24 hour ride pass which gives me unlimited unlocks and rides in a 24 hour period for just under 5 euros, so cheap compared to 3 euros for a single bus ticket. The scooters have a hard life but according to one of the companies I use they last 5 years before they are refurbished and sold on, so I reckon they are pretty environmentally friendly.

Cool tech

There seems to be some pretty cool tech involved too. The app shows you exactly where the nearest free scooter is and the companies even remotely limit the speeds depending on the time of day and where in the city you are riding. It’s a safety thing, but I can’t help wondering, if they can do it for scooters when will they start doing it to cars as well?
But what else can I say. If you haven’t already tried it and they are available in your city, download the app and get scooting, you won’t regret it.

Written by Ian Bowie