How We're Solving The Shared Scooter Theft Problem

Vandalism. Theft. Dumping. Rough handling. These are all challenges recognized by every player in the micro mobility game, whether we’re discussing electric scooters or dockless bikes. The question continues to be asked: are dockless scooters and bikes feasible as a business, and is there a silver bullet for these challenges?

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There are some similarities between these challenges for dockless micro mobility devices and Hardin’s famous Tragedy of the Commons; e-scooters and e-bikes are the “resource” that is “commonly held” but only in the sense that they are unsecured and can be taken by anyone. Abuse of this resource in terms of degree and method varies, but what’s common is that seems to come down to whim. There’s no perceived cost to the abuser, so they feel free to do what they will. And the crime feels victimless, or even justified as it damages large faceless companies like Bird and Lime. It’s also arguable that some of the vandalism is a result of frustration felt by non-customers who come across the devices scattered across a sidewalk, blocking the way.

The big micro mobility operators have been addressing these challenges with a variety of measures. Scoot, for example, is tackling the theft problem by requiring riders to use a cable lock to secure their kick scooters to a railing or post after a ride. This goes a little further than requiring a rider to take a photo of their scooter to prove it’s been parked properly, which is in and of itself a good practice to help keep sidewalks clear. Scoot’s locks are controlled through their app, so there is no fussing with a combination. Scoot’s CEO recognizes that this won’t completely eliminate theft or vandalism of their scooters, but will reduce the amount of abuse enough to keep Scoot sustainable over the long-term.

The e-scooters do have built-in anti-theft systems. If you don’t pay for the ride, the device locks up and the rider is unable to use the scooter. Lime ran into some trouble with that just recently in Switzerland, where there were reports of scooters rebooting during a ride, which triggered the immobilization systems. This caused some accidents and injuries, which forced Lime to pull their entire fleet out of the cities of Basel and Zurich. Despite this, immobilization systems are a no-brainer as a method of protecting dockless scooters from theft. Again, it’s a mitigating factor as opposed to an absolute solution, but it adds to the weight against theft and vandalism.

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There are other measures being used by the big operators. Last year it was reported that Lime had an alarm system that loudly announced it would contact police. The device was not met with much appreciation, and Lime has since deactivated the audible warning, presumably leaving an alarm inside the scooter to notify their office that a scooter was being used without authorization.

Despite all of the gloom we hear about “scooter abuse”, Lime reported in 2018 that less than 1% of their scooters had been vandalized nationwide in the U.S. Knowing this number creates a much clearer picture of the viability of a micro mobility business, especially for one that is community-based, where the fleet owner carefully hand-picks the neighbourhoods to be served.

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What is clear in the maelstrom that is the current micro mobility space is that while the less admirable facets of human behaviour are at play, solutions to discourage and mitigate said behaviour are evolving rapidly. Beyond hardware and software, the ultimate solution might be social: when a community as a whole realizes that these electric devices are used by their neighbours and friends to get to work or school, and they rely on them daily. Owning scooters and e-bikes on a micro mobility network is a natural extension of the already existing (and growing!) gig economy, where people use their own assets to create revenue, such as ride-hailing with Uber and renting accommodations with AirBnB. Riders love the experience provided by e-scooters. The business model is viable. Theft and abuse will always occur, but there are measures that ameliorate the problem, measures that continue to evolve. We

have nice things, and micro mobility is here to stay.