It's a Bird, it's a Lime, no, it's ... an e-scooter company backed by Usain Bolt swarming Atlanta!
Last week, while walking in Piedmont Park and along the BeltLine, a friend pointed out to me that there was a new e-scooter company in town without a formal announcement---and no, it wasn't part of the launch of the new Spin scooters we covered last week.
Bolt Mobility, a Miami Beach-based e-scooter company founded in 2018, announced its national launch in March to Fort Lauderdale, Alexandria and Arlington, Virg., and its plans to launch in Miami, Atlanta, Nashville and Los Angeles. Bolt has not revealed how many e-scooters were launched in Atlanta, but a quick gander at the company's mobile app shows at least 80 scooters available to ride in the city right now.
According to a press release, each scooter is equipped with swappable batteries, space for shopping bags, purses and backpacks, phone chargers, cup holders and parallel foot pads that allow riders to ride with their feet placed on each side of the scooter. This design, the company states, creates a "lower center of gravity for safer, more comfortable rides."
Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt serves as a brand ambassador and investor of the company. Other investors include Miami venture capital firm Rokk3r Fuel ExO and Yucaipa Companies, an investment firm headquartered in California.
"I am an Olympic athlete. They call me the fastest man on earth. One thing is for sure: I run. I run everywhere," Bolt said in a statement. "I have run in cities all over the world, and I can tell you first hand that traffic is getting worse and worse in every city on every continent on earth. The air quality is also getting worse, and I feel that now is the time that we must do something about it. That's why I am so proud to be an advisor and investor of the Bolt Mobility electric scooter – a mode of transportation that will truly change the way people move."
Last summer, the city saw a swarm of e-scooters arrive in the city with the addition of Bird, Lime, Lyft, Jump and Gotcha e-scooters and the recent adoption of an e-scooter ordinance by the City of Atlanta.
As of April 1, 10,500 dockless bikes and scooters have been issued permits and 8,000 vehicles have officially launched in the city, according to the planning department. From February to March, the amount of trips taken on dockless bikes and scooters increased by 50,000, bringing the total amount of trips to about 360,000.
On average, there are 11,534 trips on dockless vehicles in Atlanta every day. The average trips travel 1 mile, take 15 minutes and cost $3.06. In comparison, the average cost per trip on the city’s MARTA system is $2.50.
The concern for safety on dockless bikes and scooters is also on the rise. In February, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control announced it would be conducting a nationwide survey on scooter injuries. According to the city’s planning department, four companies reported a total of 88 crashes from February to March that resulted in 34 injuries.
