Just in time for trick or treat traveling, Austin is getting a few hundred more scooters. But these are a little different because they have seats.
Last year, Oxnard, Calif.-based OjO Electric announced it would bring 100 of its sit-down scooters to Austin. And the Vespa-esque scooters have been zipping around downtown since then.
Now, the company says it has landed permits to put a total of 500 of them around the city. It's also upping its fleet to 500 in Dallas. Earlier this month, the company also launched 250 scooters in Memphis.
OjO pitches its scooter as a faster option than the more common stand-up e-scooters around town -- and they can go farther. The scooters go up to 20 MPH, run on 48-volt lithium-ion batteries and can go up to 50 miles on a charge. Pricing starts at $1.25, plus $0.18 to $0.25 per minute.
OjO is working with Austin Commuter Scooter, which is a branch of the Austin B-cycle System, to manage its local fleet and operations.
You'd be forgiven for losing track of how many scooters and e-bikes we have circulating in Austin. The quick answer - about 15,550 have been permitted (it's unclear how many are actually on the streets). Here's the breakdown the city's mobility site currently shows:
Bird - 4,500 scooters JUMP - 2,500 scooters, 2,000 e-bikes Lime - 5,000 scooters Lyft - 2,000 scooters OjO - 500 scooters Spin - 750 scooters VeoRide - 300 scooters and 50 bicycles
