Tag: Micro-mobility
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EV Giant Rivian Files Trademark to Produce Electric Bikes
After making waves with the biggest IPO of 2021, electric bikes could be next on the agenda for Amazon-backed electric automaker Rivian. As eagle-eyed observers at Rivian Forums pointed out earlier this week, the Irvine-based company has filed a new t…
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BlueLA EV Car Share Is Expanding, Despite Cleanliness Concerns, Vandalism
When Florida-based EV operator Blink Mobility announced in September 2020 that it had acquired BlueLA, the official contractor for the city of Los Angeles’ EV car-sharing program, there were plenty of red flags.The previous vehicle supplier pulled out…
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El Pollo Loco Tests ‘Air Loco’ Drone Delivery Despite Concerns
For the last five months, orders of grilled chicken have zipped through the skies of Costa Mesa.In June, restaurant chain El Pollo Loco launched a drone delivery program in the city of about 113,000, which also serves as the site for its corporate hea…
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Launched During the Pandemic, Metro’s $1 Rideshare Experiment Is Expanding to the Westside
Metro’s answer to Uber, Lyft will be coming to Westwood/UCLA on Dec. 12 with the launch of its rideshare service Metro Micro in its ninth zone. The micro-transit pilot program led by L.A. Metro’s Office of Extraordinary Innovation aims to bring ridesh…
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Column: LA’s Vision for Micromobility Is Failing. Here’s How to Fix It
In 2019, the city of Los Angeles held a one-year micromobility pilot program that prescribed how the city’s micromobility companies could operate. The goal was to learn about the dockless transportation model and its impact on urban mobility. L.A. sai…
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Metro Is Launching a Universal Pass Experiment in South LA This Summer
What if you could use the same transit pass to access a bike, scooter, car, train or bus?L.A. Metro is rolling out a program that will allow users to do just that in South LA starting next summer. The pilot includes a “mobility wallet,” an integration…
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The Pandemic Forced a ‘Hard Reset’ On Public Transit. New Funding Could Change It Permanently
During the pandemic, ridership on L.A. Metro dropped drastically, a reported 70%. COIVD-19 irrevocably changed the face of public transit and the habits of its passengers. As agencies like Metro L.A. were forced to adapt, technology played a role in m…
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Bird’s SPAC Deal is Done: First Day on the NYSE Ends Virtually Flat
Bird, the Santa Monica-based firm that makes and rents electric scooters, ended its first full day as a publicly traded company with its stock price up by a fraction of a percent at $8.40 per share.By merging with Switchback II, a special purpose acqu…
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Bird Scoots Past Major Hurdle Towards Its Public Market Debut
Micromobility company Bird’s closely-watched public market debut crossed its last major hurdle on Tuesday.The Santa Monica-based firm, which plops rentable scooters on sidewalks across hundreds of cities in Europe, the U.S. and the Middle East, struck…
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Move Slow and Fix Things: E-Scooter Startup Superpedestrian Takes to LA Streets, Promising Safety and a Better Experience
A new e-scooter startup is coming to Los Angeles streets, promising its technology allows it to prioritize rider — and pedestrian — safety. Superpedestrian is rolling out 5,000 LINK e-scooters to Los Angeles’ sidewalks today, joining Bird, Spin, Lyft,…