Where can I rent an electric scooter?

Imagine this: you’re on vacation in San Francisco and want to take in the sights. You don’t want to deal with the complexities of public transportation, but you also don’t want to pay an exorbitant amount of money by renting a car. You could always walk, but that means you may have to limit the number of places you get to see due to time constraints. What are your other options?

Here’s one of our favorites: electric scooters (also known as an e-scooter).

E-scooters are an easy way to get around a big area while allowing you to take in the sights. They’re not very expensive to rent, and they allow you to take in—not only the big sights of the city in which you’re staying—but other things as well, like the architecture, people, customs, smells, sounds, and culture. Sound like fun? We think so too. But where to get them?

Not to worry—we can help with that. As long as you know where to look, renting an e-scooter is pretty easy, and in this awesome day of technology, it’s easier than ever. In this article, we’ll go over the two main places where you can go to rent an e-scooter and the pros and cons of renting from each place.

Let’s get into it.

You can rent e-scooters from e-scooter stations

When we say e-scooter stations, we mean companies like Bird, Lime, Skip, and Spin who set up designated spots located throughout major metropolitan areas containing a row or more of locked electric scooters that you can rent for a nominal fee.

Pros

They’re relatively inexpensive. Most e-scooter stations offer a variety of rental fee options, from hourly to daily, and are much cheaper than the cost it would take to rent a cab or car to travel around a major city area.

They’re technologically convenient. Most e-scooter stations also have signage around them that references an app to download alongside your e-scooter rental. This app is helpful because it usually contains the locations of several rental drop-off points in the same area you’re traveling. The apps usually also contain things like customer service numbers, what to do in case of an emergency, and instructions on how to extend your rental time.

They’re both fun and easy to ride. Depending on a number of different factors, the speed of an electric scooter can range widely. However, it’s commonly understood that most e-scooters can go up to 20 mph—not too shabby for something that’s 4-5 times smaller than your car. And have you ever ridden one? Yes, it requires some basic balancing techniques (not recommended for those who are pregnant or have problems with balance), but as long as you can manage a bike or motorcycle, an e-scooter shouldn’t be a problem. They zip you along to wherever you need to go, and (barring poor weather conditions) it’s pretty fun to feel the wind on your face while you experience the sights and sounds of the city around you.

Cons

They’re mainly available in major metropolitan areas. Looking to access an e-scooter station in Houston, TX? No problem. Looking to access an e-scooter station in Marfa, TX? That’s going to be more of an issue. Because the concept of e-scooter stations is still relatively new (maybe ten or so years old), they’re not going to be available in smaller, less populated areas. So, if you’re looking to access one in a small city, chances are you’ll be out of luck.

They’re not always reliable. You have to keep in mind that an electric scooter is still a thing to rent—not own—and can be returned in whatever condition the rider deems fit. Yes, we hope all riding experiences are the same, but they aren’t. Whether on purpose or accident, some customers are going to thrash up their e-scooters without a second thought and return them in whatever condition they’re in. That’s just reality. This is even more common for local e-scooter stations because there is no actual human person there to hold the rider accountable for potential damages. Though they are no doubt maintenanced every so often, it’s impossible for the e-scooter companies to identify problems with all of their units, which means you could be stuck renting a lemon for the duration of however long you’ve paid the fee.

They’re going to need to be recharged. Because they’re electric, they’re going to need to be recharged at some point, and the amount of charging required can be directly correlated to the age and condition of the scooter. Obviously, newer models are likely to have higher quality batteries and thus probably need less time to recharge. But again, it’s unlikely that you’ll know from sight which models are new and which aren’t. Also, because they’re regulated by machine and not man, you will never truly have a good idea of the condition of the battery within the e-scooter you’re renting. It may only need a few minutes, or it may need several hours to recharge, so be sure to read the manufacturer’s requirements very carefully and keep an eye on that charge meter.

You can rent e-scooters from bike or scooter shops

When we say bike or scooter shops, we mean places that sell and/or rent bikes and/or scooters to cycling enthusiasts. To find a listing of local places in your area, simply visit google maps and type in “electric scooter rentals.”

Pros

They’re going to be in better condition. Because you’ll be renting them from an actual person, they’re more likely to hold you accountable to any problems that occur with the unit post-rental return. Yes, they may still get thrashed during use, but the shop workers will do a more thorough inspection post-rental return and are more likely to hold the rider accountable for any damages they feel were sustained while in use.

They’re more likely to be fully charged. Again, because you’re renting them from an actual person instead of an electronic vendor, the store’s workers are going to be more invested in the customer experience and are, therefore, more likely to ensure you get a well functioning, fully charged unit, as opposed to a recently rented, poor quality unit. This means that you’ll likely have longer riding time because you probably won’t have to wait for the e-scooter to charge up.

They’re going to be catered to your needs. The store employees will be knowledgeable about scooter brands and will be thus in a position to instruct you on the best type of scooter that will fit your budget and your needs. As opposed to picking from one single brand of scooter, you’ll be able to have an in-depth conversation with a specialist who will be prepared to offer you multiple different choices of e-scooters, based on your personal preferences.

Cons

They’re likely to be more expensive. Because you’re renting from a store that customizes your experience and offers a larger variety of higher-quality products, it’s likely that their options are going to be more expensive than if you simply rented a scooter from a scooter rental station. At the very least, they’ll probably take the time to offer you warranty or insurance options that may increase the amount of money it would cost to rent the unit upfront.

They’re less likely to bypass post-rental issues. Though it’s frustrating to get a poor-quality e-scooter, it’s also a bummer when you’re the one responsible for the damages. With e-scooter stations, though they’ll do their best to track riders and conditions post-rental, it’s way easier to justify why something did or did not happen a certain way, and therefore potentially get out of a sticky situation if you were to accidentally damage something. With a face-to-face rental, it’s much harder to justify any potential damages that happened while you were riding because physical shops have the means and the capability to do an on-site check of the unit before you leave the property, just like with a car rental.

They’re more likely to upsell you on other products. Because they’re a store, their main avenue for revenue is sales, so they may not stop at offering rental options. If all goes well, and you return your e-scooter directly to a customer service representative, it could mean that you have to wait a while to check out while he or she does their best to encourage you to buy something, including the rental itself.

Though your experience will be completely up to you, these are just some things we recommend you keep in mind when looking for a place to rent an electric scooter.

In this article, e-scooter rental stations and bike stores are the two main places we’ve mentioned for where you can rent electric scooters. If you’re in a position to look, you can also try renting from a local sporting goods store, car dealership, or through an online retailer. We didn’t highlight them because they’re not as common as the first two options, but they may be something to look into.

Either way, we hope this information was helpful. If you’re interested in other e-scooter related topics, check out our Learning Center for answers to commonly asked questions about other, similar products.