Scoot your way to a free e-Scooter with PopScoot

If you always wanted to ride an e-scooter but don’t want the hassle of having to keep and maintain one, here is one service to try out – PopScoot.

The homegrown start-up from Singapore is a pioneering e-scooter share platform with dock stations deployed Singapore, enabling riders to rent their scooters at your convenience. It functions much the same as the share bike services like ofo, with the main differences being that there are fixed docking stations and you rent an e-scooter versus a bicycle.

Rental for PopScoot’s e-scooters cost S$2 for 30 minutes, with a grace period of 10 minutes charged free for every ride. The e-scooter is locked and unlocked via the PopScoot mobile app using Bluetooth technology at designated docking station. There is a refundable deposit collected so as to stamp out abuse.

There are other e-scooter rental services in Singapore, but PopScoot had launched with the most locations so far. PopScoot stations are currently available in 10 locations in the Jurong area and another 8 locations in the city centre. You will be able to see the docking station locations within the app upon download.

One of PopScoot’s unique feature is that users can ‘chope’ their ride before they arrive at the docking station. This make a lot of sense for busy Singaporean commuters who are always in the rush for time.

I was invited to one of their pop-up roadshows over a weekend to try out PopScoot’s e-scooters. I have not ride an e-scooter before this and was surprised how easy it was to take up. After a few minutes or trial and error, I was able to get scooting without hassle. If you have tried a Segway before, the learning curve is about the same and most people should be able to get this in a couple of minutes. For those who can’t cycle, this will be a great car-lite alternative to the rental bicycles.

Some dos and don’ts in Singapore – note that e-scooters are not allowed on roads regardless of speed. The Land Transport Authority in Singapore regulates usage of e-scooters to a top speed of 15km/h on footpaths or 25km/h on cycling paths. Failure to comply will result in a fine of up to S$5,000, 6 months jail or both. I think this is fair. For obvious safetly reasons, you really should not be going too fast on a e-scooter or riding on roads, endangering your own life as well as other commuters’ lives.

To entice more people to get scooting, PopScoot has launched a PopScooter Contest whereby a PopScoot rider with the highest number of legitimate trips at the end of the contest period on 1 March 2018 will stand to win a PopScoot e-scooter (worth S$700). Swipe right on our Instagram post for details:

The PopScoot mobile app is available on both iOS and Adroid: