People trying to fight Atlanta traffic have a new option starting Monday.
Muving, an electric scooter company based in Spain, is launching 75 scooters in Midtown. Riders can reserve and use a scooter through the Muving app but must have a drivers license and be at least 18 years old. The scooters can travel up to 45 miles and can reach speeds of 30 MPH.
"One of our focuses is IoT, interconnectivity and smart cities, and with the opening today we are expanding our ecosystem," Jorge Fernandez, vice president of global commerce for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, said at a Muving launch event on June 15.
The Metro Atlanta Chamber helped bring the company to the City of Atlanta, which has been supportive of the project. While the city has not passed any requirements yet dealing with shareable "dockless mobility devices," they have drafted an ordinance, which Muving is working to follow. Unlike the Bird electric scooters that have taken over the city, Muving's bikes cannot simply be parked on the street.
"We are very much about resiliency, sustainability, air quality and bringing the best quality to the City of Atlanta," said Vanessa Ibarra, director of international affairs for the city. "We thank [Muving] for trusting us and selecting this city among so many others in the United States and recognizing the hard work we put in to bringing companies like you all here."
The scooters are able to collect data on where people travel, and Fernandez said he hopes that information will eventually be shared with the city.
Those who want to try the scooters can use the code ATLANTA30 for their first 30 minutes free. After that, rides cost 35 cents per minute or 15 cents per minute when the scooter is in standby mode. The scooters are available from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, but if they are well received, they could end up running 24/7.
Muving was founded by Ivan Contreras who also owns SKULLY Technologies, a motorcycle helmet company now headquartered in Atlanta. For now, Muving scooters are not using Skully helmets, but each scooter is equipped with two standard helmets.
Cecilia Aguilar is the country manager for Muving USA and has been working on the launch in Atlanta.
Muving hopes to bring additional cities in the United States online, but Atlanta is their first stateside operation so far in addition to 12 cities abroad.
