As folks start to slowly emerge from pandemic lockdown and return to work, many are on the lookout for public transport alternatives. A scheme launched in Peachtree Corners, Georgia, aims to make it easier to ride an electric scooter by having it roll itself along to a user's pickup point.
Reported to be the industry's first "hail a scooter" service, the user would book a ride using the Go X mobile app. Teleoperators from Tortoise then remotely drive the e-scooter to its pick up point, where the customer is waiting. After the trip has been completed, the e-scooter is returned to base.
This not only offers greater convenience to users, but is also aimed at reducing sidewalk clutter from discarded rideshare e-scooters. Each e-scooter will be disinfected when it returns to base, and sport a sticker informing users that it's been cleaned. Go X Apollo employees are also required to undergo daily COVID-19 screening.
"I am excited that we get to introduce the safest transportation solution for the post-COVID-19 world," says Go X CEO Alexander Debelov. "While we made getting a scooter as magical and easy as ordering an Uber or Lyft car, we also went above and beyond to make to make sure that our vehicles provide the most virus-free ride out there."
The two companies involved in the initial pilot project, which will run for six months, were brought together by the Curiosity Lab at Peachtree Corners – a 5G-enabled autonomous vehicle and smart city laboratory.
"Smart city technology like Tortoise’s automated repositioning service is designed to make cities cleaner, safer and more sustainable for everyday citizens," says Dmitry Shevelenko, co-founder and president of Tortoise. "Curiosity Lab offers the unique opportunity for us to develop and deploy our technology in an environment where people live and work each and every day."
Source: Curiosity Lab
