One of the things I love the most about the rideshare industry is all of the cottage services that have popped up due to Uber and Lyft’s immense growth. Everything from apps, products and services, and even blogs and podcasts (like this one!) have popped up and many are designed to help drivers succeed and make more money. To no one’s surprise, we’re seeing the same thing happen in the scooter industry. On this episode, I’m talking with someone in the micromobility space, scooters in particular, on how his business helps scooter companies get off the ground.
Note: Spring is now out of business, but if you’re interested in building your own bikeshare or scooter business, check out Joyride! If you’re interested in being connected with Joyride, please contact Harry Campbell.
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
Intro
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Today I’m talking with Victor Pontis, who started the company Scooter Map that helps riders and chargers find scooters
- Runs the new company, Spring, which makes it easy for new scooter or bike rental companies to get started
- Excited to chat with him about what it’s like working with new scooter companies
- If you’re interested in starting your own scooter company, stay tuned
Intro to Victor Pontis
- Victor is one of the leading entrepreneurs in the scooter space
- First took a Bird scooter in San Francisco, realized this was an amazing opportunity to get people around
- Started Scooter Map to make it easier for chargers and riders to find e-scooters
Scooter Map
- Saw a problem (riders and chargers not easily finding scooters) and decided to create Scooter Map
- Took off quickly, there was a demand for this
- Next opportunity – scooter companies
Spring
- Decided to start the company Spring, to help make starting a scooter/bike business easier
- Aggregates the software, tech, manufacturing, etc. to help scooter companies be more successful
- One stop shop for a lot of these companies
- Shopify for micromobility
Why Scooter Companies?
- There’s a lot that goes into starting a scooter company
- Beyond the costs of the scooters themselves (thousands to get a fleet), additional challenges
- Regulatory, working with cities, etc.
- Operations challenges are some of the biggest headaches right now
Outro
- Big thanks to Victor for coming on and sharing how he got involved with scooters
- His company, Spring, is offering a lot of options to companies that want to get started in micromobility but can’t yet compete with the big names
- Really interesting blend of micromobility, entrepreneurship, etc.
Ad: Rideshare drivers love using the GetUpside app to save money on gas.
Show Notes
- Spring.so
- ScooterMap.com
- @VictorPontis on Twitter
- CanIKickIt.biz
- RSG050: George Grama on Building Mobile App Software for Rideshare Companies
If you’d like to read a transcript of this podcast, please click here.
