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Dockless electric scooters launched for Pittsburgh commuters

Residents, workers, students and tourists in Pittsburgh will soon be able to experience the city like never before. Starting in June, on-demand mobility service Scoobi will introduce Pittsburgh’s first dockless electric scooter fleet, offering a new transportation option to the city’s 300,000-plus residents and visitors.

The shared e-Scooter fleet aims to fill the gap between public transit and rideshare options, providing riders with an affordable, convenient and eco-friendly solution for short-distance transportation across the Steel City. According to research, Pittsburgh drivers spend an average of 81 hours per year commuting, often in traffic throughout the downtown area.

“Our goal is to reinvent the way Pittsburghers travel, providing an affordable, environmentally conscious way to experience the City,” said Scoobi CEO Mike Moran. “Scooters allow people to skip the cramped city bus or expensive rideshare car and enjoy a low-cost way to get around town. It’s about fun, efficiency and freedom-of-movement.”

Scoobi’s initial program launches with 100 electric scooters produced by Fremont, Calif.-based GenZe. The model 2.0F electric scooters, which are assembled in Ann Arbor, Mich., are purpose-built fleet versions of the Silicon Valley brand’s 2.0S e-Scooter.

The GenZe 2.0 e-Scooters’ smartphone-connected IoT technology and removable battery with standard wall-outlet charging are proven to help shared electric fleet operators.

“GenZe was founded on the idea of revolutionizing personal transportation in cities through two-wheel, zero-emissions vehicles,” said Vish Palekar, CEO of GenZe. “Shared fleets like Scoobi are a great example of how these innovative electric scooters can transform our approach to local commuting and urban exploring.”

Riders locate and operate the scooters using Scoobi’s mobile app, which identifies available scooters throughout the City, and holds the selected vehicle for 10 minutes. The Scoobi app displays the battery life for each scooter, and enables the vehicle to be started, plus provides access to a lockable trunk where two different-sized helmets are stored. To charge the user’s phone while riding, Android and iPhone chargers are provided in the scooter’s trunk, that connect to a phone mount with charging point located on the handlebars. Scoobi’s mobile app also provides users with a running total of miles driven and the user’s carbon footprint impact. The cost for riding the Scoobi scooters is $5 for the first 20 minutes, and $0.20 for each additional minute.

There will be charging stations located throughout the East End where a rider will be able to park in garages and charge the scooters after their ride has ended. If parking in a charging station is inconvenient, riders will also have the option to park on the street in various “blue zones” outlined in Scoobi’s mobile app throughout the East End and in parts of the North Shore and South Side.

Scoobi electric scooters have a maximum speed of 30 miles per hour and a range of up to 34 miles per battery charge. Since a Class M license is only required for vehicles in Pennsylvania over 50cc, Scoobi scooters can be ridden by any person with a standard Class C driver’s license.

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One Comment

  1. Yet another Socialist Utopian electric mobility idea not well thought through, and therefore immediately destined for complete failure. Anyone looking at the weather patterns for Pittsburgh will understand that these scooters will only be available to use from May to September
    Further during those months it rains an average of 9 days each month, which means in a 20-22 working day month nearly 1/2 of the days are taken by rain events.
    There are viable solutions to massive city traffic, open cockpit electric scooters which can achieve 30mph maximum with a 35 mile range are not in part of that picture

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