Public vs Private Fleets

The key difference is where scooters are made available for pickup and drop off.  Traditional Public fleets will utilize city owned property such as sidewalks and other common space where scooters are available for rent.  Private fleets are only allowed to be picked up and returned to private locations. 

 

Public Fleets

• Often called "dockless" or "free-floating" - vehicles can be picked up and dropped off on public property (usually sidewalks) throughout a city. 
• Permits are required to operate these fleets since they are using public property.
• Instead of bringing scooters back to indoor locations overnight, they are usually left on streets and batteries are swapped when needed. 
• Vehicles in public fleets see higher utilization but at lower average trip durations since most trips are shorter point A to point B rides. 
• Since public fleets require city permission - here are some general steps to get started. 

 

Private Fleets

• Vehicles are picked up and returned to private property (garages, hotels, retail stores, etc). 
• So long as the vehicle is legal to ride in the city, public permits are usually not required to operate. 
• Vehicles are generally charged overnight after they are returned. 
• Trip duration tends to be longer as riders are required to return them to the same location when they are finished. 
• Damage and vandalism rates are lower on private fleets since riders are usually returning them in-person.