URB-E, the startup that creates foldable electric scooters, is launching a transportation system designed to promote scooter sharing on colleges campuses and other large residential developments.
One of URB-E’s first deployments is on USC’s campus in Los Angeles, where they will provide more than 40,000 rides this year. Campuses like USC will pay URB-E for the entire system, which is the docking stations, a fleet of scooters and a management solution, which includes maintenance and support. The startup installed 50 docking stations throughout the campus, and students and faculty can pay $9 a day or $45 a week to rent an URB-E.
USC students also can apply any money spent on rentals to the purchase of their own URB-E, making the sharing program a new potential sales channel for the startup. URB-E also opened a physical store on USC’s campus for students to learn more and purchase their different scooters, which start at $899.
At USC, URB-E’s scooters can be used to go from class to class, but their 20-mile range and 15 MPH speed mean they also can be used to commute to and from campus, or really anywhere in downtown LA.
USC and Los Angeles as a whole are particularly good locations for URB-E’s sharing system. While Los Angeles does have a city-run bike-share program it’s much smaller than programs in cities like New York, and doesn’t have any stations near USC’s campus. “With traffic at an all-time high and public transportation readily available but not always accessible, URB–E at USC helps us connect our campus with the entire city,” explained Tony Mazza, director of transportation at USC.
URB-E also has installed their system at hotels and residential communities, including the Fairmont Miramar and The Argonaut in San Fransisco. Because these properties purchase the system upfront from URB-E they can decide on their own pricing structure, so a hotel could provide free access to guests while a college campus or apartment complex could customize their own pricing structure.
Check out the video below from CES 2017 to see a hands-on demo of URB-E’s latest models.