The newest generation of electric scooters hit the streets of D.C. Wednesday, and they are smarter and learning from riders.
The new Lyft scooters are bigger and sturdier with a big front tire. They have LED screens that tell the speed (maximum is still 10 mph).
If the rider takes it onto the sidewalk, where they aren’t supposed to ride, it signals that they are not supposed to be on the sidewalk. The scooter also can report its rider for that.
There are also turn signals, lights on the front and the back, two brake handles, a longer-lasting battery, and a place to hold and charge a phone while riding.
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“They also have an AI box that has computer vision and is constantly observing the streets and the other places that people are riding,” said Dominick Tribone of Lyft.
The Washington Area Bicyclist Association wants more safe spaces like protected bike lanes to ride scooters.
WABA also offers classes for first time scooter users.
Transportation
Reporter Adam Tuss and the News4 team are covering you down on the roads and in transit.
“It is still new, and a lot of people don’t know what they’re doing, or, like, how to properly use them,” said Akita Davis of WABA.
Lyft rolled out hundreds of the new high-tech scooters in D.C. – the first city to get them. Lyft expects to deploy more than 1,000 over the next week.
