It seems a truism to say how the coronavirus pandemic is spreading radically and affecting countless lives in the world. Shared mobility is not the only industry to suffer from that. Mobility service providers are struggling with being operational in this time of crisis without posing the source of spreading the disease. Many established e-scooter startups are either laying off their workforce or pausing the operation in many markets or both.

However, almost all the cities need some kind of transportation even in the lockdown situation for so many reasons, be it delivering essential items to the public or delivering medicines or medical instruments to medical professionals in the case of emergency. Since micro-mobility transportation by nature allows social distancing, it has so much potential to serve people in this crisis compared to any other transportation.

How to make most out of existing business in the crisis period by ensuring a healthy ride: 

• Disinfecting shared hardware after every use:

According to the United States Environment Protection Agency, the virus can live up to 72 hours on steel or plastic substances. So apart from daily cleanings, it is very important to disinfect all the common contact points e.g. handles, seats, brakes, bells, etc. after each ride for the safety of both owners and users.

• Revise the work policy:

It is very essential to follow some hygiene routines for the safety of the staff and commuters. E.g. use of gloves and masks should be made compulsory for both user and owner, frequently washing hands, avoid taking meals together and anything that is needed and possible to implement.

•  Working responsibly:

As the symptoms of the coronavirus take two weeks to manifest, there is some personal responsibility to keep the authorities updated about your health. It is a shared responsibility of both owners and users to do their part in minimizing the transmission of the infection.

• Work as a union:

Follow the guidelines published by the local public health authority and support their efforts to prevent the spread of the virus. Try to be in close contact with them for better policy implementation.

How to start an e-scooter sharing business ensuring the safety of people during covid-19 successfully?

Although the micro-mobility sharing industry is in flux, the dynamic and agile nature makes it essential in the time of crisis. Now is the time to hold the opportunity but with efforts of reducing risks and sustainable mobility.

Design tricks for an e-scooter app:

• Nearest e-scooter discovery:

In the previous version of the Bird’s app, our team has noticed that an overcrowded map filled with overlapping logos makes the nearest e-scooter discovery and e-scooter selection process very tedious for users.

Instead, opt for a cleaner screen, in which by clicking on the number icon, the map zooms in and shows the exact location of the e-scooters of that nest. 

• Locate the e-scooter:

For that, our UI team has suggested two mobile app UI changes. First is the image of the last known parked location and the second is the approximate address of the e-scooter.

• Provide outstanding features:

You can add features like showing the battery percentage icon on each e-scooter icon on the map. Also you can integrate a feature that asks destination from users, and after analyzing watts needed to reach there, it only shows e-scooters with enough battery power.

• e-scooter reserving:

This feature can help users book the e-scooter up to 30 minutes. After reaching near the booked e-scooter, the user can simply unlock it. Here it is worth mentioning that during the time period of 30 minutes, any other user cannot unlock that booked e-scooter and a user who has booked that e-scooter cannot unlock any other e-scooter!

Strategies you can adapt to sustain the market in crisis period:

• Provide convenient mobility with safety:

You can provide an in-app wallet to make an online payment, riders can use the cashless ride and physical contact can be avoided.

• Health first policy:

Being a startup at this time, you need to be alert about maintaining all the safety measures to be a trusted brand.

• Tie-up with popular stakeholders:

You can tie-up with local government or hospitals or restaurants or local vendors and provide them vehicles for their communication purposes. Which may stabilize your initial customer base.

For any application development you need to research the market, identify potential users and their existing problems and then plan the features accordingly. This analyzing step is very essential to make any app successful especially in this critical time when the established players are pausing their business.

E-scooter app works the same as the other on-demand apps. You can refer our dedicated blog on how to develop an on-demand e-scooter app during covid-19.

How coruscate can help you? 

If you have an idea about e-scooter sharing business or are ready to start a business but having confusion about the business model, hardware, technology, planning, developing, customization or anything related to e-scooter, get in touch with experts now. We offer different packages for app development depending upon your idea.

Summing up:

While staying at home and following the government guidelines of social distancing is the topmost priority but in unavoidable circumstances taking a trip requires then e-scooter is the best option to ensure personal distancing. Catching some wind while at it is what makes any startup to be successful. Get free personalized quotes and app demo from the Coruscate team now.