According to Quartz, Eric Amis – a 20-year-old- was headed home from his hotel job in Atlanta on an e-scooter. He had just pulled out of the local metro station parking lot when a Cadillac SUV crashed into him, leaving him in a life-threatening condition. Later, he died. 

Amis was one of 29 people who have died in e-scooter accidents since the first wave of the micro-mobility revolution hit the USA in 2018. Each victim died after the drivers of motor vehicles weren’t able to avoid them. Many investigation reports quote the lack of regulations and safety features as the major reasons behind e-scooter accidents. 

Considering the gravity of the situation, city councils are imposing some of the very harsh rules. Micro-mobility startups are also coming up with some groundbreaking technologies and app features to ensure the safety of the riders. 

In this blog, we will discuss the ways micro-mobility startups like Lime, Wheels, Beam, Voi are ensuring the safety of the riders by integrating very basic yet very serviceable features in the app and upgrading the e-scooter hardware. But before that, let’s first dig deep and find out the factors contributing to the e-scooter accidents.   

Most common reasons behind fatalities involving e-scooters

 
The following are the major 3 reasons why the number of e-scooter accidents is increasing by leaps and bounds. 

• Lack of awareness 

An e-scooter is a fairly new mode of transportation. Unlike a bicycle or conventional kick scooter, an e-scooter is powered by an electric motor. The power of this motor which controls the speed of the e-scooter is managed through a throttle. Though this looks like a simple mechanism, it proves to be challenging for first-time users. Such users riding an e-scooter directly on the busy streets put their as well as the lives of the pedestrians at risk.  

• Lack of regulations 

The development of the e-scooter sharing business has been so unsettled and uncontrolled that these tiny e-scooters have invaded many cities before even governments could realize. Governments not regulating the use of the e-scooters are indirectly encouraging the ruthless e-scooter riding. Amid lack of regulations, there is nothing (except for accidents) that can stop e-scooter riders from riding e-scooters dangerously. 

• Lack of safety features in software and hardware 

A startup can easily employ many available technologies to ensure the safety of the riders. But for the sake of saving a few bucks, they usually give cold shoulder to those technologies and the safety features an e-scooter app development company can actualize using those technologies. 

Not only software, but startups are also not paying heed at the quality of the e-scooter hardware. Many startups accommodate only conventional e-scooters in their fleets. These conventional e-scooters do not come with the disc brake, wide wheels, well-built frame, and even the front and backlights.

So, now when you know the reasons why the number of e-scooter accidents is increasing, let’s discuss how top micro-mobility startups are locking horns with this major challenge. 

How top micro-mobility startups are ensuring the safety of riders?  

 
The following are the top 4 micro-mobility startups that are offering the safest e-scooter rides by just adding a few additional features in the app and upgrading the hardware. 

 Wheels: 

Wheels is the USA-based micro-mobility startup which is doing pretty well even in the intensified micro-mobility market of the USA. Wheels goes an extra mile to ensure the safety of riders. It offers a very unique e-scooter hardware which is very easy to handle, thanks to fat wheels and a lower center of gravity. 

Moreover, Wheels has developed a one of a kind solution to not leave a single reason for riders to not wear a helmet. Their helmet locks into the rear fencer of the bike and riders are required to unlock it for free before hopping on the bike. If a rider uses the helmet, sensors detect it and Wheels offers him the 20% discount. 

To know more about Wheels, you can read our dedicated blog. 

• Lime 

Lime, which is one of the largest e-scooter sharing companies, has also invented something very useful. And they had to, at least when its devices were involved in more e-scooter deaths – 11 of 29!

Lime’s sidewalk detection technology relies on the group of sensors. These sensors measure the intensity of the vibration of the e-scooters. If an e-scooter rider rides an e-scooter on the sidewalk which consists of evenly-spaced grooves, the e-scooter vibrates too much. And the sensors fitted on e-scooter predict (with proven 95% confidence) whether a rider is riding an e-scooter on the sidewalk or somewhere else. 

1. Voi  

Stockholm-based micro-mobility startup Voi has launched an online ‘traffic school’ after they recorded their first fatality in May 2019. The online ‘traffic school’ lets users take quizzes on subjects like parking, traffic rules, and general e-scooter knowledge. In exchange, Voi offers riders ‘ride credits’. 

We, Coruscate, add such features into the e-scooter app without charging any extra. 

To know more about Voi, you can read our dedicated blog. 

• Beam 

Beam which runs its e-scooter sharing business in many cities including Auckland has recently launched Beam Safety Academy. It is a program designed to teach first-time users safer e-scooter use. 

Beam has also launched its next-generation e-scooter, Beam Saturn. Beam claims this to be the safest shared scooter in the country. 

Additionally, Beam became the first e-scooter provider by covering its riders with accident insurance policy. 

To know more about Beam, read our dedicated blog.

How much does it cost to build an e-scooter app with a bunch of safety features? 

 
 Coruscate is the top e-scooter app development company that has developed 10 disruptive e-scooter apps for different markets. We accommodate 100+ app developers, app designers, IoT engineers, business experts, and legal advisors who all work together to make your business journey painless.

Our app developers have already listed down top safety features for the e-scooter app. They can integrate these safety features along with many common as well as unique features into an e-scooter app.

Our business experts help micro-mobility startups to draft the business plan, decide on the business model, select the e-scooter hardware and study the market. As if this is not enough, our legal advisors help micro-mobility startups to acquire a permit from the government. 

The cost to build an e-scooter app relies on the app development approach you choose. 

• To develop a custom e-scooter app with all custom features, we charge somewhere between $15000 to $25000. 

• The price to develop the clone version of some popular e-scooter app starts from $10000. 

• And our subscription plan for the white label e-scooter app starts from just $500. 

To know more about our pricing structures and get the personalized quote, please feel free to contact us. Our one of the senior business experts will welcome you with the free e-scooter app demo and free consultation.