BALTIMORE — “Public transportation is a problem in this town. There’s not like in DC a bigger metro system, buses are unreliable,” said Chris Leverenz, an e-scooter rider.
With a button-up and dress shoes, Leverenz heads to work on a scooter.
“In South Baltimore, parking is a premium. Sometimes it’s easier to take a scooter. I work about a mile from here. We are also a one car household,” said Leverenz.
But now his scooter selection is slashed in half. That’s because whatever yellow link scooters you find laying around won’t work. Superpedestrian is shutting down.
“When the pandemic hit, supply and demand, there was less ride share drivers and the price went up, that hasn’t come back down. It's around $3.50 for a scooter ride,” said Leverenz.
The Massachusetts-based company is set to auction off more than 20,000 of its e-scooters and other tech products later this month.
“In a city where almost 30 percent of the city lacks access to a car, some neighborhoods that’s 70%,” said Jed Weeks, Interim Director for Bikemore.
Weeks works with Bikemore to create accessible spaces for people to get around without a car. He says the scooter cut will hit low income residents the hardest.
“It immediately cuts the amount of scooters on the ground in the city in half. Scooter programs have had over 6.8 million rides so far, that’s over seven million miles. People that are on the low-income access plans use the scooters at a higher rate,” said Weeks.
Superpedestrian isn’t the only e-scooter business to pump its breaks this year. Companies like Micromobility.com are facing major financial road blocks and last month Bird filed for bankruptcy.
However, not everyone is sad about link scooters being pulled off the streets. Some people call them a nuisance, saying they block sidewalks or create headaches for drivers. A few neglected scooters have even been fished out of the water.
But Leverenz says as long as they stay charged, he’s sticking with it.
“If I don’t have a scooter, my only other option is to get another car and that’s not a realistic expense for my family right now,” said Leverenz.
