From Slate, a fun take on one Santa Monica resident’s attempt to make a buck as an electric scooter charger.
These little suckers from Bird (not unlike LimeBike, pictured above in San Francisco) could be considered dock-less, as they can be picked up and dropped off anywhere, within prescribed boundaries.
However, they do need docks, for charging. And that’s where you can earn a little side cash. Take a stroll, scoop up some scoots, take them to a charging station, and there’s a little side cash.
It’s a fun article because of how it’s written. And we don’t have to feel his pain, because unlike an Uber driver, it’s not making light of someone’s career choice. We certainly don’t have any of these issues here in Vancouver.
Or do we? Wait a minute, something sounds familiar…
“...the charging system is akin to a real-life Pokémon Go, albeit one rife with cheating. The app purports to tell you where nearby chargeable scooters are, but in reality that’s rarely the case.”
Like hunting for a car2go, the 1-way car-share that some people — occasionally, in certain areas, and usually when you desperately need that vehicle to be there — is treated like a 2-way system.
“Duplicitous collectors have created a thriving ecosystem of stockpiling, hiding, and decoying that makes it well-nigh impossible to find a scooter.”
Or a car that’s small enough to lock up with the recycle bins. Just a conspiracy theory.
But let me know if you’ve had the same one.
