Nearly a month to the day after Revel voluntarily suspended operations of its rental electric scooter park in NYC, the scooters are back in town.
The bright blue electric scooters, which can be rented per minute via a smartphone app, start up again at 9 o’clock in the morning.
However, the service came with major security updates that were designed to prevent the type of problems that resulted in a series of fatal accidents in the past month.
A few weeks ago, we got wind of new measures that Revel was working on, including improved safety training via the phone app as well as a method to make sure riders wore helmets.
Now we have received confirmation of these updates from Revel, as well as a series of additional security improvements.
All Revel electric scooters have always come with two DOT-certified helmets in the storage box, complete with tearaway hygienic liner. It has always been Revel’s policy that riders should wear the helmet, but enforcement had failed in the past.
To ensure that riders now actually wear the helmet (or wear their own personal helmet) a helmet selfie feature has been added to the app. The rider must take a selfie before riding with a helmet, which activates the scooters.
Revel is also getting serious about the helmet rule. If you get caught without a helmet on, they will stop your account. Have fun riding a bustling bird scooter at a jogging pace afterwards.
Revel has also started selling DOT-certified helmets for $ 35 each, so users do not have to share a helmet. If you passed Amazon before searching for a DOT three-quarter helmet, you know that $ 35 is a steal.
New in-app training has also been provided to give new riders a better understanding of how 30 mph (48 km / h) electric scooters work, as well as explain local road rules. It contains a quiz of 21 questions that must be passed, including answering each question twice correctly (no lucky guess!) Before riders can use the service.
In addition, Revel is expanding the number of free personal training sessions it offers, where new riders can familiarize themselves with the cars and receive professional instruction on their operation. We HIGHLY recommend that new riders participate in these free training classes, especially those who have never ridden a moped, sitting scooter or motorcycle. Revel users can sign up for a free class through the app.
A new reporting tool for communities is also being rolled out. It enables any New Yorker – even those without a Revel account – to report Revel riders who are seen driving responsibly, breaking Revel rules or local laws.
Revel hopes these changes can ensure riders use the service manager, follow traffic laws, and always wear a helmet.
As Revel CEO and Co-Founder Frank Reig explained:
“Revel is born and raised in New York City, and we’re proud to start an even better service in our hometown. With the support of partners such as the NYC Department of Transportation, we are returning stronger than ever and we provide ongoing access to the more than 360,000 New Yorkers who rely on Revel to destroy their city. ”
Electrek’s Take
Of course, everything here is a good thing, including the fact that Revel is back in NYC.
I have always been pro-rental scooters. I think these seated electric scooters are an important part of the alternative transportation landscape, and even more so with the COVID-19 pandemic that makes public transportation so risky.
They are perfect solutions for long-distance travel that are too long for bird or lime scooters, but also do not require an Uber with gas.
I really hope the public will take security seriously. For some reason, people have too late given control to services like Revel. Of course, every death is a tragedy, but at a time when many seem to have turned a blind eye to the 1,000+ Americans who die every day from COVID-19, it took three deaths a month for a critical service like Revel to remove from the public. That kind of control means that Revel and its riders must operate like a city on a hill, and provide the best possible example of how alternative and efficient transportation such as these electric scooters can be a safe and practical solution to free our cities from polluting personal cars .
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