The Electric Urban Scooter Surplus.

Preconceptions....

These new mobile phone application ordered electric scooters whizzing around my downtown and adjacent neighborhoods have distinctly changed Austin Texas's scenery! The terrain has visually been altered. These electronic "pay 16 cents by the minute," scooters have given this new century, a starkly different transportation look. Has your city been bombarded yet? Warning, they are coming. It's inevitable.

Visualize with me, the streets and sidewalk you used to actually walk or peddle bike upon, now outwardly sporting these various and competing brand's scooters. How does it work? Well, I imagine, the usage methods are similar to the Uber, and Lyft ride-share models. First, download the scooter brand mobile phone application, next input a credit card for automatic payment, then locate a scooter to use, and finally scan, start, and go. I'd bet it is a pretty simple process. Isn't simplicity always the #1 goal of consumer technology companies? I mean Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are still completely FREE to use. Now that's how you build a loyal massive clientele, with free and unlimited usage.

 So far, the all-electric scooter merchandise and brands I've noticed in Austin, Texas are corporately named Bird and Lime. I would also assume there are other competing scooter brands too. Remember, monopolies are illegal in the United States of America. Competition must always be accounted for in business ventures.

Thus far, I'd say the whizzing scooter feedback from my fellow Central Austin core patrons and neighbors has been of welcoming positivity.  One of my friends detests the lingering scooters left by the street wayside, while the majority of ATX residents perceive the "pay as you go" scooter, a beneficial and additional private transportation option. How do I personally feel about the new advent of the electronic scooter city revolution? For today, I'm going with sure! If you are so lazy as a person that you prefer to neither walk or manually pedal bike around the city for actual cardiovascular exercise, then go ahead. It's your life and liberty. It used to be the pedestrian and easy old-school act of going for a fresh neighborhood walk or bike ride was a daily health stable. I'd consider walking and biking around your city and neighborhood, a free method for fresh air, community, and monotony disruption. Electric scooters are a lazy and quick mode of transportation. Their safety level is also valid consumer and public worry. At least the scooters are electric and non-gas guzzling. Your thoughts?

America's lazification struggle has a new force to contend with = the electric sharable scooter.

I mean, just when I thought we as everyday Americans had conquered the unhealthy reminders of fast food, never-ending cable and streaming Television watching, comfy couch sitting, car driving, and cigarette smoking, here arrives a new age hurdle. Enter, the Death of traditional walking and pedal biking. How do you feel about this controversial transportation subject? Do you still go for a daily or weekly heart healthy neighborhood walk or pedal bike ride? I do, and I love it! Pedal biking is my preferred method of transportation. I even own and use a protective helmet for my long bike rides. There is no safety, license requirement, age minimum or level of sobreity checkpoint currently for the Electric Sharable Scooters.

So George, are you total anti-electronic scooter renting? The answer is NO, and I'll try it eventually. Eventually. The short-term scooter rental could be useful and spice up one's dating life. What sounds more romantic than finding out if your date is a clutz than a little human balance check competition? Do something or say something stupid gentlemen and your pretty date will physically scoot away. Just as the Subway train in major cities speeds up the commute, people in a time crunch can pay for the electronic scooter rental, in order to get to their destination faster. Procrastination is another factor in humanity's lazification struggle.

I have personally witnessed, the actual scooter "pay for use" growth in my humble city of Austin, Texas. The majority of the E-Scooters are located in the Downtown area, with fewer and fewer in the surrounding residential core neighborhoods. There are even less available in the Suburbs. I can honestly report what appears to be youthful in age and touristy type primary users. I have not seen many aging, gray-haired adults whizzing around on these electric skinny scooters. I guess the scooter legal driving age is 16 and up, but I don't really know. Overall they look pretty fun. The users travel in packs and carry smiling happy faces. I've noticed both male and female genders ride the electronic scooters.

Does anyone remember those standup SEGWAY scooter and walking alternative contraptions? They are still sparsely around. Did you ever go on a city Segway Tour? Per NBC news online.."A British businessman who bought the Segway company less than a year ago died after riding one of the scooters off a cliff and into a river near his Yorkshire estate. Jim Heselden, known locally as Jimi, acquired the Segway company from its U.S. inventor Dean Kamen in December 2009."  Pretty sad, yet truthful news. How do you see the future of the electric shared scooter business and experience?

Ahhhh...the lazificiation struggle enigma. In my opinion, I forecast a continued technological revolution in society. I  forsee constant overall tech advancement within our living, working and playing world. Once these electronic share scooters become mainstream, a new invention will arrive after.

How can you and I beat the lazification struggle? My answer, sheer WILL POWER.

Post Conceptions....

So now I have actually tried, experienced, ridden and rode theses Central Austin and Downtown electric rent-able scooters. Guess what? They are actually pretty easy, fun and invigorating to ride!

You simply download the branded application of each scooter company, for example, bird, lyft, lime, etc, then input a credit card, scan, unlock and GO! They are very fun and easy to unlock, ride and go if the battery is adequately charged.

My girlfriend and I first rode them in her Hyde Park neighborhood to and from the Quacks Bakery shop for breakfast. I've since ridden the Bird brand scooters to and from downtown to pick up my bicycle I left one drunken night.

The most fun, I've had so far was doing the electric urban scooter riding as a group. Yes, not solo, but as a group. One Sunday brunch morning, I was invited to a birthday social brunch gathering at Laundrette in the Holly neighborhood of East Austin. Post-meal, our 6 person group of 3 couples decided to continue the day drinking explorations into other venues. All 6 of us, in our mid 30's,  out towners included figured it out, and electric scooted to the next 2 and 3-day drinking bars and venues. The place our group initially scooted to was called La Holly. The next was the Zilker Brewing Company and the final stop last was Lazarus Brewery. The group scooting experience was super fun, unique and enjoyable! Despite our imbibing and ride method, the group's helpful eyes kept a collective heads up. I'd highly advocate and recommend group scooting. We took the pathways of both the street bike lines and some sidewalk scooting. I strongly suggest to not attempt to ride in the car and monster truck actual streets. Stick to the bike paths and rarely used sidewalks.

The moral of the electric urban scooter invasion is to remain open mindful to new methods of transportation. I'd say it is fun to occasionally rent and ride the  Central City Scooter. I do not think urban-dwelling residents should rely on the rentable electric scooter entirely, yet as a sporadic venture, they are a real-life usable example of new age transportation fun! For long term residents and for one's overall health, walking, biking and running are the most heart healthy city modes of transportation.