Electric-scooter firms are running into a series of setbacks around the world, including glitches that throw riders off mid-ride and a lawsuit that claims they discriminate against people with disabilities.
The latest: E-scooter company Lime has reportedly stopped operations in Switzerland while investigating a potential software malfunction that made its scooters brake abruptly, injuring users, according to TechCrunch. Meanwhile, the LA Times says that a lawsuit filed by Disability Rights California claims electric scooters are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by blocking access to San Diego’s streets and sidewalks.
Total recall: Electric-scooter firms expanded vastly in 2018, and there’s been a lot of buzz about services launching around the world. But recently, the problems seem to just keep coming. In November, Lime had to recall a scooter model after its inconvenient habit of regularly breaking apart. And that was just days after it had to pull scooters because they kept catching on fire.
Upsides, downside: E-scooters are billed as an environmentally friendly way to commute that can help fill in gaps in public transportation. But there will be limits on their potential growth if it isn’t clear who’s liable for crashes and city authorities are opposed.
