When it comes to major moped moments in pop culture, none are more noteworthy than the scene from Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s film Passport to Paris , in which the twins – Melanie and Ellie Sen, the coolest girl name of 1999 - Easily riding a moped Two French boys named Jean and Michel met during their spring break adventure in the City of Lights. When Uber invited me to be one of the first people to try out a moped in the Uber app, I'd be lying if I didn't imagine myself zipping across Place de la Concorde like Jean and Michel. The movie's soundtrack would play and I would arrive at my destination and somehow magically shake my hair off my helmet, and it would be the easiest thing I've ever done.
However, my experience with the Uber mopeds – which will be rolled out to Uber users in the Paris metropolitan area and surrounding suburbs in November as a new mode of transportation at a price of €0.29 per minute, converted to USD per minute $0.32 (Though it's just starting out in Paris, an Uber rep tells Bustle there may be plans to expand to other cities in the future) — Of course, that's not the case, since this isn't a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie.
Why the Uber app's mopeds first came to Paris
When you think about it, the addition of mopeds to the Uber app isn't a surprising leap, especially for a city like Paris with a strong tourism industry. Ahead of the mopeds, Uber formed a partnership with e-bike sharing company JUMP in April 2019. Cities such as Paris and London have added e-bikes and scooters to their digital platforms. An Uber representative tells Bustle that more than 1 million bike rides have been booked through the app since the bikes were launched in the app in April 2019, so it can be inferred that there is a demand for alternative modes of transportation.
Additionally, if you’ve set foot in most major U.S. cities, you’ve probably seen the influx of e-scooter brands: American e-scooter companies Bird and Lime have been around for nearly two years and have become popular green mobility alternatives. Cycling in big cities where bike lanes are crowded and sometimes non-existent can mean danger for potential riders. Likewise, on October 10, 2019, TechCrunch reported that New York-based electric moped rental startup Revel raised $27.6 million in funding and is looking to expand into new cities outside of New York City, perhaps somewhere in Texas. place. It’s safe to say that the market is booming.
Alternative travel options are abundant in major locations such as Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Berlin, Brussels, Barcelona and more. Segway tours are recommended as a way to see many popular attractions and cities, golf carts (or "mini scooters" as they are called on the website) can be rented in places like Versailles, France, and mopeds are a popular choice for tourists , as they can easily travel through the small streets of most old towns around the world, especially in Europe. Of course, bikes and scooters also remain popular options.
For its new fleet of mopeds, Uber has partnered with Paris-based company Cityscoot to offer electric moped rentals through its app to users in Paris, Nice, Rome and Milan. Like the deal with JUMP, the partnership will provide users with the opportunity to book moped rentals through the Uber app throughout Paris and some surrounding suburbs, with the aim of encouraging more riders to try out a new form of transportation - — one that is not only different, but will also take the pressure off Paris’ already congested roads.
As a first time moped rider I realized that Jean and Michelle from Passport to Paris looked like pros even though I was only 13 and I was like Jon Snow (If Winterfell had mopeds) Same, no idea. Luckily, Uber will offer first-time moped riders classes taught by Cityscoot pros, and if they want to learn how to ride a moped properly, there are instructions built into the Uber app that explain how to do it properly Operate a moped and drive the motorcycle correctly. Safety measures to take and how to obey the rules of the road.
Esther Porte, Uber's global product marketing manager for new mobility, tells Bustle that partnering with Cityscoot means Uber users can benefit from the startup's large fleet of mopeds as well as the free safety services it provides. Courses that teach users how to ride a moped.
The availability of safety ratings is an important thing to note, especially for tourists: while you do need to prove you have a driving license to actually rent a moped, actually driving one is not the same as driving a car. Electric scooters have been a popular mode of transportation recently, but with the addition of mopeds to the Uber app, the number of first-time users is likely to increase.
This can lead to dangers on the roads: in fact, this is already happening if you count the increased use of e-scooters. In 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the results of a study showing that many dockless e-scooter-related injuries were head injuries caused by a lack of helmets: The study followed 271 people over 87 days Participants, 130 of whom were identified as having suffered e-scooter-related injuries. Of these injuries, 45% were head injuries, and worst of all, less than 1% were reported to be wearing helmets. By the end of the study, the findings showed that the incidence of e-scooter-related injuries was 14.3% per 100,000 trips. Likewise, a February 2019 investigation by Consumer Reports found that there were at least 1,545 accidents related to e-scooter use in the United States in 2018, though they said this was hampered by a lack of reliable data on emergencies in some states. A number may be higher. services and police departments.
All of this makes it extremely important to stay safe and invest the time in taking free classes.
How Uber mopeds work
Mopeds on Uber work much like how you request a ride on the app, except instead of waiting for the nearest driver to accept your ride request, all you have to do is open the app and select the moped Vehicle options and click on any moped you want to book nearby. Each moped's location is geotagged so you can see its exact distance from you at any given time - they're parked all over the city. After booking a moped, you have 10 minutes to find the bike and enter the unique four-digit code from the app into the number pad near the handlebars. This will officially start your booking. From there, you can ride to your heart's desire.
Porter said that while users only need a valid driving license to successfully rent a moped on the app, if they are a beginner they are encouraged to take a course.
General safety rules state that moped riders must always wear a helmet and gloves when operating the machine. Every moped comes with a helmet that stows under the seat, and a Cityscoot rep tells Bustle that technicians inspect the helmets twice a week to make sure they meet safety standards — if there's anything wrong, even if it looks like there's something wrong , will also be replaced. In terms of hygiene (i.e. everyone is wearing a helmet, it gets hot!), the moped also comes with a hairnet-like insert that the rider can wear under the helmet. Helmet hair is still worth it because of safety.
In addition, the moped also comes with an apron-like protective cover for the user to put on their legs while riding, the benefit of this is that it has a transparent touch screen sensitive pouch that when set up to navigate the app, You can put your phone in it. The bike also has hooks for hanging bags under the apron, so you don’t have to worry about lugging a bag around when you’re trying to drive heavy machinery.
This is what it feels like the first time you ride a moped
When I first tried an Uber moped, a few things struck me.
First: Mopeds are much bigger than you think. When I climbed on the bike to start testing, I was surprised to find that when I sat on the bike and held down the brakes, my toes barely touched the ground. I'm about 5'5", which generally seems to be considered a pretty average height, but a moped can make you feel short.
Second: I find that there is nothing scarier than realizing that you are now standing on the roof of a concrete parking lot, riding a fast-accelerating moped for the first time, with only a helmet and leather gloves to protect your belongings Something happened. I just realized how stupidly fragile your human body is.
Your feet may, like mine, stick out of the moped's footrests and find the pavement where they belong . You'll probably soon realize what a scary thought this is, because you're still accelerating, only now your feet are on the ground, so you're also running, and there's a giant moped underneath you pulling you the entire way. People – again, super fragile! -Own top speed of 28 mph, because thankfully that's as fast as this moped is programmed to go, but you've still never gone that fast, especially with a giant bike underneath you in the case of ! It’s nothing like what you’re used to when you’re walking down the street.
But you know what? You'll probably spend another 10 painful seconds doing it before you remember where the break is, and then you'll rest, and then you'll stop and everything will be fine. Then you'll try again and you'll get better.
While I'm not a sports pro yet, practice does get me closer to perfection.
Third: How difficult is it to turn around on a moped. Accelerating can be scary at first, but once you get over your fear of falling, you'll eventually get the hang of it. But what about turning around? A whole other ballpark. Cityscoot instructors told me multiple times to look in the direction I wanted to turn, and every time I tried to do so, I almost a) hit a wall, b) hit a concrete barrier, c) almost fell on my moped Topple over, d) accelerate too much, scare yourself, try to put your feet on the ground to slow down, realize it's a bad idea, then pull the brakes and finally come to a stop, or e) some combination of the above. Still, each time, the Cityscoot instructor told me that I was still "heading down" when I tried to turn the moped.
Fourth: It's hard, but so is learning to ride a bike, skate, or skate - with the help of an educational coach, you just have to practice. As one instructor told me, some people are born with the ability to learn to ride a moped in five minutes...while the other 95% learn it with practice. I think he and I both agree that I fall firmly into the latter category because I fell on my moped, jumped off the overturned moped in a most inelegant way, and then grabbed the handlebars and accidentally accelerated and ran out. Ride the bike for about 10 seconds.
I would still do it again. It's fun, practice can really help you become more comfortable riding a moped, and Uber's safety products are extensive enough that it doesn't feel like your life is being ignored. If you're visiting Paris and want to see the city in a unique way, renting a moped is definitely a great way to stay Parisian - doing it with the Uber app only makes it more convenient for you.
Just go to class first so you don't do all the wrong things I did, that's all. Don't be me. Become Jean or Michel.
Research references:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Office of Public Health Science Services, Centers for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, Department of Science Education and Professional Development (2018), Characteristics of dockless e-scooter-related injuries - Austin, Texas , September - November 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/eis/conference/dpk/Dockless_Electric_Scooter_Related_Injury.html
