Brooklyn-based rideshare Revel to end moped sharing in NYC and San Francisco
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Revel is yanking its mopeds off New York City and San Francisco streets this month.
The Brooklyn-based rideshare company announced it’s ending its flagship moped rental program to focus on its EV operations after its scooter ridership dropped.
The tech company — which began as an app-based moped share program in Bushwick in 2018 — will pull its fleet of 3,000 electric two-wheelers off roads by Nov. 18, a Revel spokesperson said.
Revel CEO and co-founder Frank Reig announced the and of the pilot program in an email to all employees Friday, Robert Familiar told The Post.
Reig said he made the decision as “service has been strained and ridership isn’t what it used to be,” according to a copy of the email obtained by TechCrunch.
Instead, Revel will focus on its electric vehicle taxis and charging businesses, the CEO said.
Just two days before the announcement, the company unveiled its third “Superhub” EV fast charging station with 14 charging plugs in Queens. It also operates two “Superhub” stations in Brooklyn. It also is developing stations in the Bay Area, Familiar said.
The rideshare app began offering Tesla taxis in NYC in the summer of 2021 and now has a fleet of 500 EVs, including both Teslas and Kia Niors, that offer rides across the five boroughs and parts of northern New Jersey.
The following year, Revel pulled its moped sharing from markets in Washington, DC and Miami. Now, pulling out of New York City and San Francisco means an end to the program altogether.
Revels’ ubiquitous blue scooters were also put on a one-month pause in the Big Apple in 2020 after three people died on the mopeds in just 10 days. They were allowed back on city streets after heightening safety guidance and instructions.
Its moped ridership dropped about 30% in both cities year-over-year from peak summer rides, making it no longer a sustainable business asset, TechCrunch reported.
Revel plans to send the decommissioned scooters to recycling facilities in both areas over the next two weeks, according to the outlet.
With the end of the program, about 67 staffers in the moped operations division will be laid off, though they’ll be eligible for severance packages, the outlet reported.
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