Dockless electric scooters are one of the hottest industries in tech today. One such company, Bird, has raised more than $400 million and is valued at $2 billion---even though it was founded just last year. Lime, a competitor, has also raised over $400 million at a $1.1 billion valuation.
Startups, venture capitalists and scooter enthusiasts want to get these new transportation options in as many cities as possible. The problem? Not every city is on board.
The main issue is that users are leaving these dockless scooters in sidewalks, streets and other walkways, increasing clutter and congestion in crowded cities. People in San Francisco have referred to the influx of disorganized scooters as "wheelmagedon," and the city forced companies to cease operations in June. Officials are currently debating how to regulate the new technologies. Other municipalities, like Milwaukee, have ruled electric scooters unlawful and are fining users who ride them in the city.
But Chicago parking startup SpotHero believes it has a fix to today's scooter debacle---put scooters inside parking garages and get them off sidewalks and other busy pedestrian walkways.
SpotHero CEO Mark Lawrence said via email that several scooter companies have contacted SpotHero about using the startup's network of garages as places to store scooters when not in use. Lawrence said SpotHero is "collaborating with our parking partners on how to best help scooter companies." News of the talks was first reported by Business Insider.
"Dockless scooters are convenient to the rider, but scooter companies also need a place to store and park them," Lawrence said. "In fact, this has been the main issue causing the debate over scooters in San Francisco and other cities in recent weeks---the lack of parking has contributed to more sidewalk clutter and congestion. With more than 5,000 connected parking facilities in our network, we are optimistic we can find a parking solution for scooter companies and riders, whether it’s working directly with SpotHero or our partners."
It's an interesting solution to a problem that few cities have yet to solve. People who commute to work by car could park their car in a garage space, then hop on a scooter to solve their "last mile" transportation needs---all while keeping roads and sidewalks clear.
SpotHero, founded in 2011, has parked more than 12 million cars in nearly 50 cities. It has raised over $57 million in venture capital to date.
The startup says it has data on where those millions of cars tend to park, and scooter companies could use this data to determine demand ahead of time and supply scooters near major parking locations during peak times.
"[Scooter companies] can also assess inventory near popular destinations in order to facilitate pick-up of dockless scooters," Lawrence said. "These scooters can then be stored in centrally-located parking facilities when not in use, thereby reducing clutter and congestion."
