Last July, a New York City bicyclist filed a lawsuit in New York State Supreme Court against a man riding an electric moped (e-motor scooter) and the company renting out that vehicle.
Soon enough, the whole e-motor scooter industry has been put on trial - in the media, among safety activists, and seemingly even dealers who sell those vehicles.
The lawsuit is "Paul Discesare v. Matthew Horn and Revel Transit." Here is a copy of the complaint. The implications are amazing.
As StreetsBlogNYC reports, in June, the plaintiff and the defendant were both attempting to make a left turn from York Street onto Gold. Dicesare contends Matthew Horn, who was on a moped leased from Revel, hit him from behind, injuring him. The police report provides different details.
Dicesare contends that Revel leases for a $19 fee the e-mopeds but does not require hands-on, in-person training. Yet, the vehicle can travel up to 30 miles an hour and the rider has to navigate the crowded streets of New York City. The terms and conditions of the leasing only mandate a valid driver's license with a clean record. Revel provides $50,000 in liability coverage.
To participate in this vehicle-sharing program, it's necessary to download the Revel app, which is here. The program also is available in Austin, Texas, Oakland, California, and Washington D.C. According to CrunchBase, "Revel Transit is an shared electric vehicle service that allows users to locate, reserve, and unlock through an app." The company was founded in 2018 and is based in Brooklyn.
Yesterday, the influential tabloid the New York Post covered this emerging legal niche. Since Dicesare, who is represented by lawyer Daniel Flanzig, filed his lawsuit there have been six more against Revel.
However, the controversy over this sharing app may be just the tip of the iceberg about the safety of e-motor scooters, the legal liability associated with them, and other approaches to what might be thought of as "green travel."
Here is my story, for instance. Recently, I went to a dealer in Toledo, Ohio which sells powersports vehicles, including mopeds. Because I hadn't ridden a moped since graduate school I asked if I could try one out. The owner refused because of liability.
Before my visit to Tucson, Arizona, I called a motorcycle dealer about my test driving one of their e-mopeds. The answer was "no," unless I had been riding one regularly already.
Meanwhile, green activists are advocating alternate modes of transportation to replace the gasoline-powered car. Along with bicycles, of course, are the e-motor scooters.
The growing number of food couriers find the e-moped less expensive than maintaining a car and is faster than a conventional bike.
Another option for them is the e-bike. At least, outside NY state.
Last December, governor Andrew Cuomo vetoed the bill legalizing those e-bikes, along with e-scooters. He cited safety reasons. Here are more details from the New York Post.
E-transport everything, including the green movement, can be damaged by the litigation as well as Cuomo's veto. Along the way, my enthusiasm about green travel has been replaced with fear. Here in OH, e-bikes are legal. But I now wonder how safe I will be navigating traffic. If I conjure up the courage to test out an e-moped, the place I could go would be an official Harley Davidson dealership. It also provides riding lessons.
In my 20s, I had taught myself how to ride a Honda 90 cc. That was in a vacant lot near the boarding house for doctoral students. I went everywhere, without any accident.
But that was then. Roads in a university town were sharable by multiple types of vehicles and I had the fearlessness of youth.
Place your sponsored content on this blog. Coaching on SEO and Ghostwriting for that content also available. Sliding scale fees. Please take advantage of a complimentary consultation janegenova374@gmail.com.