In Fort Lauderdale, E-Scooters Providing Environmental, Time-Saving Benefits
A new way to get around downtown Fort Lauderdale, Fla. is surging in popularity — two wheels at a time.
Electric scooters offer an affordable method of travel that is both environmentally sustainable and time efficient. And after 88,223 rides among the three providers in November alone, it’s safe to say the community has been receptive to their addition.
“ The City of Fort Lauderdale offers many diverse areas where people can ride scooters — ranging from downtown to the beach,” said Dayana Diaz, senior strategic communications specialist for the city of Fort Lauderdale. “ This is a quick, inexpensive, and sustainable way to get around.”
The electric-powered gizmos are nestled adjacent to store fronts, outside of museums and overlooking the city’s Riverwalk. They are scattered in bunches throughout Fort Lauderdale and are becoming as common to the local’s eye as palm trees or iguanas.
An ordinance allowing their arrival into the city was passed on Nov. 1, with unit implementation beginning the following day. Since then, there are now hundreds of e-scooters in Fort Lauderdale with thousands of rides having been conducted between them.
E-scooters’ rise of popularity in Fort Lauderdale isn’t an isolated phenomenon. In less than two years of operation, Bird and Lime, two of the city’s most prominent e-scooter providers, have deployed their units in over 100 cities worldwide.
The uptick in e-scooter usage is providing a positive environmental impact and statistics show Florida is a state that needs exactly that.
Florida ranks 46th among US states in energy consumed per capita as of 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But Fort Lauderdale, with its population of over 180,000 and burgeoning tourist industry, is taking a step toward improving that ranking with its addition of e-scooters.
“With e-scooters being electric rather than functioning using gasoline, they’re a more sustainable transportation choice,” Diaz said. “They are certainly a shift from using traditional transportation modes.”
Etergo, a European e-scooter provider which has yet to expand to the United States, says units like the ones in Fort Lauderdale have massive impacts on environment’s future.
“The increased use of electric mobility will reduce the carbon footprint in cities due to a lessening dependence on petrol, and that is a long-term goal most electric scooter companies are striving for,” a representative of Etergo’s marketing team said in an email.
Reducing the carbon footprint takes a collective effort, however, so e-scooter companies rely on everyday people to help propel their mission of sustainability.
Lime and Bird pay residents to collect and charge their units overnight, coining them “juicers” and “chargers” respectively. When the units are fully charged, they are then scattered strategically around the city’s highly populated areas.
“Bird works with a network of local, trained chargers in the communities where Bird is available,” a Bird spokesperson said. “These individuals help collect Birds each evening for charging, and they can pick up as many Birds as they want on any given day.”
While most recognize that preserving the environment is important, people working in downtown Fort Lauderdale are attuned to the day-to-day benefits that e-scooters provide as well.
Caron Long, an IT coordinator working on Las Olas Boulevard, says e-scooters are giving people a way out of the bumper-to-bumper traffic found in downtown during the weekday bustle.
“People are sick of traffic and like alternatives,” said Long, who said she has yet to ride an e-scooter but wants to do so soon.
Those alternatives came to Fort Lauderdale in the form of three providers: Bird, Bolt, and Lime.
Each provider is allowed up to 500 e-scooters to be dispersed across the city, those units regulated by the Fort Lauderdale transportation and mobility department.
Bird, Bolt and Lime share the same price of a $1 activation fee but have varying per minute riding charges, which between the three companies doesn’t exceed 20 cents. All three providers require riders to be at least 18 years old.
The basics of riding an e-scooter aren’t much different than that of its non-motorized predecessor.
First, the rider places one foot on the scooter, using the other foot to kick off the ground and gain momentum. After momentum is established, the user then places both feet onto the scooter and accelerates using the lever on the handlebar. To stop, the user presses down on the hand brake.
While Lime has an advantage in mile range over Bird (20-plus to 15), the latter’s max speed of 15 miles per hour is .2 higher than the former’s 14.8. The product specifics for Bolt’s e-scooters were unavailable online and the company failed to provide such information before time of publication.
To unlock an e-scooter for use, one must log into its provider’s mobile app and pay the activation fee via a debit or credit card. Once the rider has reached their destination, they lock their scooter by signing out on the app and leaving it in an upright position that doesn’t obstruct the sidewalk.
E-scooter riders are asked to stay on the sidewalk at all times, yielding and giving audible warnings to oncoming pedestrians.
They aren’t, however, required by state law to wear a helmet, although the providers and the Fort Lauderdale transportation and mobility department suggest doing so. Bird offers free helmets to riders if they pay for shipping costs.
E-scooters were nonexistent in Fort Lauderdale this time a month ago but are the talk of the town today. Diaz said their sudden rise in popularity is partly because of novelty, but also ease of operation.
“Because this is a new form of transportation, there’s definitely some excitement around it.” Diaz said of the e-scooters. “Ultimately, we want to make sure that our neighbors have mobility options. This is just one more way for people to reach their destinations.”
Only time will tell if e-scooters can continue to mount support and grow into a go-to transportation option in Fort Lauderdale, but Diaz said the city is “hopeful” that they are here to stay.
Long believes if both the providers and city work together in the common interest of the riders, that can be just the case.
“If safety, ease of app, and signs are kept up I think it could be really successful,” Long added.
