What technology is needed for scooter sharing?
The ability to locate, rent, and ride a scooter is underpinned by layers of different hardware and software interacting with one another. How can this interaction create the most seamless user experience possible? Answering this question is the aim of this article.
Welcome to the Internet of Things (IoT)
Shared scooters are connected to the internet. If this connection is not set up correctly, and contact is lost with the fleet, it can get expensive very quickly. Not knowing the location of a scooter is a significant cause for concern.
Trying to charge, maintain, and relocate scooters broadly describes the game of scooter sharing operations and the only way it can begin to be played is by having a fleet of scooters that are connected. This means each scooter must have an IoT device continuously connected to the cloud.
The scooter’s connectivity then only works if it is connected to the same cloud as the software, so the hardware and software can ‘talk’ to each other. Many operators achieve this by having their vehicles retrofitted with a third party IoT device, however this increases the complexity of set-up. As an alternative, it is preferable to have the IoT device built-in from the beginning.
Having the scooter, the cloud, and the IoT device all come from the same developer simplifies the process of having them all integrated into the same system.
Admittedly this explanation may seem a bit basic for some readers, so let’s delve into the specifics and learn why the software products required for scooter sharing aren’t so obviously understood.
At unu, the fullstack software solution consists of three products
1. Fleet Operations
Making sure thousands of scooters are online, fully charged, and ready to drive is known as fleet management, and it is all about the vehicle fleet. In the office, fleet managers need access to a single platform where they can see the status and details of all the vehicles in real time. Out on the road, field agents will need access to an accompanying mobile application. Together these software solutions provide: live updates of when and where vehicles need attention; batteries’ state of charge; tasks for field agents; remote vehicle access; and ideally, the ability to automate operational processes. In essence, this is a vehicle focused system. Successful fleet management keeps scooters running in great condition increasing the availability and thus, revenue.
2. Sharing Operations
Another back-end technology needed is a customer focused management system. This is a tool that helps with business configuration by managing business areas, non-parking zones, as well as pricing packages. It takes care of finance by controlling payment methods, billing options, and providing invoices. And, it is a customer support tool in the sense it can manage user accounts, their rentals, and their refunds. Being able to manage different cities, business areas, payments and billing will enable a scooter sharing system to scale quickly and effectively across different markets.
3. Mobile Application
Last, on the front-end, users need access to a mobile application. Relevant features for this product include: creating a user account, driver’s license authorisation, choosing a payment method, locating available scooters, reserving them, and starting/ending a rental.
Integration can be complex and costly
This interconnection of the hardware and the software, such that they can send and receive data to one another, illustrates the important point that the hardware and software are interdependent.
The important implication of this interconnection is that the hardware and software must be able to integrate with one another. Practically speaking, if the scooter, its telematics, and the software solutions are all developed by different parties, integration becomes more complex. To continue the conversation analogy, the hardware and software can only talk to each other if they speak the same language, and the more people involved in the conversation, the less likely they are to agree.
Therefore, it is preferable to have the various software products developed by the same team, or by a number of well compatible and trusted partners. Achieving one well integrated solution expedites the launch of a scooter sharing system. This is beneficial for the operator as it lightens the workload and hastens market entry. Even more importantly, a well integrated system that minimises complexity will positively impact the user experience.
This article looked at the different hardware and software products that are required to make a scooter sharing system work. We learned that starting such a system becomes more difficult when the different parts are developed by different parties. The implication of this is that in order to minimise the complexity of set-up and provide the best user experience, the hardware and software products need to be perfectly integrated. This is achieved by either sourcing the various parts from one turnkey provider, or by carefully selecting a number of recognised partners that are well compatible with each other.
It was beyond the scope of this article to investigate how much it costs to make a scooter sharing system work, so it will be dealt with in a separate, forthcoming article.
As always, we’re happy to keep the discussion going through any critiques or additions you may have, so please do not hesitate to get in touch. We believe our insights should be like the future of mobility: shared!
This article is published by unu. Find out more about what we offer by visiting share.unumotors.com
