Lime just released his Lubbock scooters before tonight's NCAA game – TechCrunch



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Lubbock fans attending the NCAA Men's National Championship Basketball Game between University of Virginia and Texas Tech tonight will have many ways to celebrate if they win, but drive Lime Branded electric scooters will not be among them.

Six months after Lime drove his motorized vehicles to Lubbock – Texas Tech's northwest Texas town – Lime took them out of the city streets for today and tonight because fans Too zealous gathered near the school after his victory over the Michigan State Saturday night, we would have started to shoot down traffic signs, to throw bottles of glass in the air, to spill at least one car and, indeed, to burn scooters.

It was embarrassing for the school, which proudly qualifies quarterback Patrick Mahomes of Alum (he was in Saturday's game). Lubbock police quickly issued a statement: "After the Texas Tech Men basketball team defeated Michigan State in the NCAA finals, hundreds of spectators gathered on Broadway, near the University. The crowd adopted an extremely dangerous and disappointing behavior, including acts of vandalism. We are proud and enthusiastic for Texas Tech, but such behavior will not be tolerated. We want Red Raider fans to support the team and celebrate in a legal and responsible way. We are on the national scene so Lubbock is proud.

Still, Lime clearly did not want to take a chance with his scooters, which would cost between $ 100 and $ 500 at retailers. He also does not want anyone to be killed on a shot before or after tonight's big game, which will take place in Minneapolis. Lime said in a statement sent to TechCrunch a short time ago: "While we are also excited and proud of the Texas Tech tournament win and run, we also share Lubbock's concerns about public security. In anticipation of tonight's big game, we pulled our fleet out of the street before it starts and we will redeploy scooters after the end of the activities early Tuesday morning. "

Lime did not answer questions today, including how many scooters are currently in Lubbock every day, if the company first consulted with city officials and if this is a first decision of this type. Rival Bird also did not answer related questions. But Thom Rickert, a Dallas-based risk specialist, is focused on traditional and emerging trends that impact public entities – from scooters to drones to automated vehicles – says he's not sure what's going on. Is not aware that scooter manufacturers have so far withdrawn their fleet from concerns that this may well become the norm.

This should, in his opinion. Rickert, like others, has already witnessed scooter mistreatment in contexts involving a large number of people and alcohol. It highlights the St. Patrick's Day parade in Dallas, which has attracted more than 100,000 people this year. "I've seen a very bad behavior" when it comes to scooters, says Rickert with a chuckle.

Rickert, who works for the insurance company Argo Group, added that Lime and everyone else wants to better understand the structure of incidents, especially when and where and under what conditions vandalism tends to occur. It's the same type of data that informs a lot of things that Americans are used to, including parks that shut down at sunset and pools that were made inaccessible after Labor Day. "Communities make certain decisions about facilities and equipment based on risk assessment to mitigate the impact of certain behaviors," he said.

In fact, it is conceivable that, equipped with such information, scooter companies ultimately have no choice but to sweep their products out of city streets before certain events, which increases the responsibility for knowledge. . Only time will tell, but do not be surprised. This would be a natural evolution for companies. Most already have their goods picked up at sunset because of similar concerns about safety, responsibility and expense – because, in short, people sometimes act stupidly.

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