Muving Along
Motorized scooters offer seating for two and faster navigation of Atlanta’s roads
STORY: Claire Ruhlin
In case you hadn’t noticed, Atlantans are searching for ways to mix up their often traffic riddled commute. The city has embraced alternative forms of transportation—everything from rentable bikes (think bike shares Relay or the dockless start-up Ofo) to Bird’s motorized, app-driven scooters.
The latest alternate transportation option to arrive is Muving, an electric scooter-sharing service that launched in Europe. Atlanta marks the company’s first North American venture; Muving has already stationed 2,500 electric scooters for use by more than 185,000 customers in 12 cities.
Perhaps the most noticeable differences between Muving’s scooters and those of its competitor, Bird, are that Muving’s vehicles can comfortably accommodate up to two riders, and users can sit down. Muving scooters can accelerate up to 30 miles per hour for as long as 25 minutes, and the company’s eco-friendly initiatives guarantee no CO2 emissions and no noise.
Muving’s initial Atlanta fleet was released in June in high-traffic areas such as Ponce City Market, Piedmont Park, the King Center and Tech Square. Scooters are rented through Muving’s app from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Users must be older than 18 and upload a valid driver’s license before renting a scooter, after which they’re charged by the minute. Rates range from 15 cents per minute in Muving’s stand-by option to 35 cents per minute. Stand-by allows users to reserve the scooter for a period of time and have it waiting for them after, for example, going out to dinner. Alternatively, riders can pre-purchase packages of 200 or 400 minutes, which amount to 30 cents and 25 cents per minute, respectively.
