A local couple who manages a popular electric scooter available for rent complains of repeated thefts and vandalism.
“Many scooters are missing.
Bird, a Miami-based company that undertakes scooter maintenance, provides care to individual fleet managers in more than 450 communities across the United States, according to its website.
Scooters are for use within the city limits of Roswell. People can search for or rent scooters using the Bird smartphone app. A small fee is charged up front and after that he is charged a small additional fee for each minute.
When people have finished their work, the scooters are left on the side of the road, in parking lots, or on street corners, where they are later retrieved and recharged by fleet managers.
Maribel Quinones said he worked on bringing scooters into town, seeing them as a cheap and environmentally friendly means of transport, especially for tourists. Many people use it for town use and commuting with their families.
But since making his Roswell debut, the couple says they’ve had to deal with one thing after another.
According to Maribel Quinones, the first episode occurred when someone loaded a scooter into a pickup truck and drove it to Artesia and law enforcement had to get involved.
“We didn’t get charged, but it’s basically time to pick up the scooter and come back. You know you spend a lot of time on just one scooter,” she said.
And then there are those who hurt scooters. Maribel Quinonez said one was run over by three of her scooters on purpose. Others have been damaged by hacksaws and by people trying to remove GPS and SIM card devices.
If these devices are removed, the scooter will no longer function and will be discarded damaged.
At least three scooters have been found in the riverbed near the Roswell Convention Center in recent months, and at least one has been trashed.
Of the 80 scooters, 25 are estimated to be damaged and 3 missing, according to Maribel Quinonez.
They feel people don’t appreciate their efforts to provide something fun and affordable to the community.
Each scooter will cost $1,500, they said, but that doesn’t include the onboard computer technology.
Managers are responsible for maintaining the scooters in their fleet. So if the scooter gets damaged, they have to pay to have it repaired.
And the fact that you can’t put it on the street and rent it means it’s $200 a day that the manager doesn’t get.
“We know each scooter that has been damaged up to that point, so we have to wait at least three weeks to put the scooter back together. Quinonez says.
The Fleet Manager oversees repairs and maintenance, but does it for Bird, so Bird can decide to remove the scooter from the community if the costs become too high.
The couple say they took to Facebook to share their experiences with people, and although they have received positive responses, they feel their efforts are underappreciated.
Sonny Lujan, another Bird fleet manager at Roswell, said he has encountered similar problems with thefts, but only four scooters have not been found.
“It wasn’t too hard for me, but it’s something I’ve run into a few times,” Lujan said.
One of the reasons his losses were not so great was that half of his fleet of 80 scooters was not ready to be launched.
What is stolen he tends to find quickly.
A scooter is like a mobile phone. If the scooter’s on-board GPS and SIM card technology weren’t stripped, the fleet master could use an app to find out where he was. In the event of unauthorized movement, Lujan receives both text her messages and email alerts.
He said he sometimes had to go to people’s homes and ask them to return the scooters.
“They are stunned when I knock on the door and ask for a scooter,” he said.
Initially in denial, Lujan says he was shown an app to track the scooter and eventually got it back.
“There’s not much you can do other than pick up a scooter, kind of teach them a lesson in a good way,” he said.
However, if the scooter goes offline and GPS is disabled, it can be difficult to find.
Maintaining it requires constant engagement, which is made difficult because Bird wants managers to have several scooters around the clock.
“During those sleepy hours, I’m not going to answer the phone. So if those scooters move illegally and you don’t get that notification, you’re claiming them lost or stolen.” says Lujan.
To minimize the risk of theft, Lujan said he is selective about where he places his scooters. For example, he is hesitant to set it up on the south side of the street and aims to set it up where there are security cameras nearby.
“So whenever I set up mines on the north side of Main Street, Main Street in front of businesses, etc., it’s not likely that many people will take advantage of them,” he said.
Lujan added that he’s also set up a Facebook page to post if the scooter goes missing. And he often gets responses from people willing to help him track his scooter.
“People are always happy to help on how to find out who stole the scooter,” he said.
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