![Can WeHo-Based Wheels Get More Underserved Angelenos to Ride E-Bikes?](https://dot.la/media-library/wheels-ebikes.jpg?id=29555159&width=1200&height=400&quality=85&coordinates=0%2C160%2C0%2C161)
![dot.LA](https://dot.la/media-library/dot-la-logo.png?id=28274272&width=166&height=100)
Get in the KNOW
on LA Startups & Tech
X
Image courtesy of Wheels
Can WeHo-Based Wheels Get More Underserved Angelenos to Ride E-Bikes?
Maylin Tu
Maylin Tu is a freelance writer who lives in L.A. She writes about scooters, bikes and micro-mobility. Find her hovering by the cheese at your next local tech mixer.
When Los Angeles launched its micromobility pilot in 2019, it had big dreams for improving transportation equity for all Angelenos.
Three years later, less than 3,000 people make use of micromobility programs aimed at helping poorer sections of the city, despite stringent requirements on companies to provide these options and programs to help raise awareness. At issue, experts said, is a patchwork of rules and regulations between municipalities that can be a logistical headache for riders, infrastructure that doesn’t offer much protection for scooter and bike riders in these areas and a public outreach campaign that has failed to gain traction.
“It's a big challenge because when you drive your car, for example, people don't pay attention to municipal boundaries. They just want to get from point A to point B in the most seamless way possible,” said Will Sowers, director of public affairs at Wheels.
Wheels Director of Public Affairs Will Sowers.
Image courtesy of Wheels
While each city has its own equity requirements, the city of L.A. established its current program in 2021. Any operator deploying vehicles in special operation zones (including Venice, Hollywood and Downtown) is required to deploy 20% of its fleet in equity zones. There is no trip fee for rides that begin or end in these zones. The city also requires operators to offer a low-income option for riders, attend meetings with neighborhood councils and other local stakeholders, provide a non-credit-card and non-smartphone option for payment and partner with a community-based organization.
But those efforts haven't made as much an impact as the city might have hoped.
As of October 2021 there were 2,915 active users enrolled in low-income programs across all operators, according to information provided by L.A.’s Department of Transportation. That’s just 17 more riders than the city reported a year and a half earlier–in a report which also noted that 85% of users did not know that equity programs were available.
Riders in L.A.’s underserved neighborhoods use micromobility differently than those in more affluent areas, according to Sowers. While a rider in Venice might ride to the beach or to a restaurant, riders in underserved areas often use e-scooters as a way to get from a transit stop to work and vice versa.
“We've even seen examples of people using our device as a courier,” he added, “where they may — with one of many delivery apps — grab a short shift.”
Wheels Plan to Go Further
Wheels is trying something different. The company has made an effort to design its scooter for the way that lower-income riders use them, and is one of the few scooter companies able to thread the requirements of multiple municipalities in L.A.
It currently boasts it has the most interconnected micromobilty network in the L.A. metro region, with permits to operate in the city of L.A., Santa Monica, Culver City and West Hollywood, as well as plans to launch in Glendale.
Practically speaking, that means a user could ride a Wheels device between municipalities to get to work or school without worrying about landing in a no-parking zone (Beverly Hills, for instance, is geofenced and off-limits for scooter riding and parking).
Wheels was founded in 2018 in West Hollywood by Jonathan and Joshua Viner, who previously co-founded pet-walking startup Wag. The company’s scooters are designed for traveling longer distances. While a typical standup scooter goes one mile per ride, a Wheels seated mini-bike goes about one and a half miles. Along with its app-based service, the company also offers monthly rentals.
So far, the company has raised $96.3M in funding..
As part of its “Wheels for All” program, riders in all four municipalities who use state or federal benefits can ride at a steep discount. Currently, Wheels devices are $1.10 to unlock and then $0.39 per minute to ride. But underserved riders get unlimited rides of 30 minutes or less, paying only the unlocking fee.
The program is also more expansive than L.A. requires. In addition to low-income riders, people with disabilities and older adults who the city designates as “underserved populations,” Wheels program is also available for unhoused people.
To qualify, applicants fill out a form online and provide proof of enrollment in a state or federal program.
In comparison, its competitor Lime offers rides for $0.50 to unlock plus $0.07 per minute plus tax through its Lime Access program; Bird offers 50% off rides for low-income Angelenos through its Community Pricing program.
Although Wheels has the most interconnected equity program, enrollment is low. Only about 1,000 riders are signed up across the greater L.A. area. The program has provided just over 23,000 rides in the last year.
Sowers said this is an issue his company is doing its best to address. He added that he frequently talks to social service workers and organizations to help spread the word. Many, he said, are initially skeptical of recommending micromobility options to their clients.
One such person called him after seeing someone with a disability riding a Wheels device:
“They called me and were like, ‘That makes sense to me. It makes sense that someone can sit down and potentially have an accessibility challenge, but still be able to ride your device’.”
Berkeley professor and co-director of the Transportation Sustainability Research Center Dr. Susan A. Shaheen told dot.LA over email that Wheels’ approach to equity has potential.
“It could provide a more affordable alternative to private vehicle use, particularly during these times of high gas prices,” she said.
Image courtesy of Wheels
No Equity Without Infrastructure
Another challenge that Wheels, like its competitors, deals with is infrastructure. California law bans e-scooters from operating on sidewalks. But not everyone is comfortable riding an e-scooter or e-bike in the street, especially where there are no bike lanes and little infrastructure to keep riders safe. That’s especially true in many low-income neighborhoods.
“If you want to prioritize equity, you need to build infrastructure for micromobility in the places that are the most dangerous to use micromobility, which is in the least-invested communities,” said Michael Schneider, founder of advocacy group Streets For All. He added that providing equity means building interconnected cycling infrastructure throughout the city, especially along L.A.’s high injury network.
The city has said it's trying to address the disparity.
Los Angeles has brought in $4 million over two fiscal years through its micromobility permit program, according to the city’s Department of Transportation. It’s using some of that money to fund a redesign of the 7th Street corridor, including protected bike lanes, after data showed that this segment of Downtown was one of the busiest for e-scooters and e-bikes, Public Information Director Colin Sweeney said via email.
In the future, Sowers sees the potential for L.A. to use that funding, along with the data it collects from operators, to build better infrastructure in underserved areas.
“If someone in a transit desert is riding one of our devices, and I give the city good data and say, ‘Hey, I've got tons of rides in this neighborhood, but there's no protected bike lanes,’ then that creates a reason for the city to build that.”
From Your Site Articles
- Bird CEO: Gas Prices Could Boost E-Scooter, E-Bike Ridership - dot ... ›
- LINK Will Add Another 1500 E-Scooters to LA Streets - dot.LA ›
- Veo CEO Is Bringing Anti-Tech Bro Approach to Micromobility - dot.LA ›
- Move Slow and Fix Things: E-Scooter Startup Superpedestrian ›
- Lime Is Bringing Its New, More Eco-Friendly Scooters to LA - dot.LA ›
- E-Scooter Companies Quietly Change Low-Income Programs in LA - dot.LA ›
- Wheels Agrees To Sell Business to Micromobility Firm Helbiz - dot.LA ›
- Wheels Agrees To Sell Business to Micromobility Firm Helbiz - dot.LA ›
- Wheels Agrees To Sell Business to Micromobility Firm Helbiz - dot.LA ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Maylin Tu
Maylin Tu is a freelance writer who lives in L.A. She writes about scooters, bikes and micro-mobility. Find her hovering by the cheese at your next local tech mixer.
This Week in ‘Moves,’ Our Roundup of Job Changes in LA Tech
06:18 PM | February 04, 2022
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
Moves is presented by Interchange.LA, dot.LA's recruiting and career platform connecting Southern California's most exciting companies with top tech talent. Create a free Interchange.LA profile here. And if you're looking for ways to supercharge your recruiting efforts, find out more about Interchange.LA's white-glove recruiting service by emailing sharmineh@dot.LA.
***
Content creator platform Kajabi has hired Sean Kim as president and chief product officer. Kim joins from TikTok, where he was head of product.
Electric vehicle startup Faraday Future has named Susan Swenson as executive chairperson, replacing outgoing chairman Brian Krolicki. Swenson was a director on the company’s board.
Snap chief compliance officer Dominic Perella will be leaving his position after seven years to go on sabbatical. The move opens up two vacant roles at the social media company: chief compliance officer and global head of litigation.
Sophie Nazerian has joined Silicon Valley Bank as vice president of startup banking. Nazerian previously served as engagement manager at seed accelerator Techstars.
Mobile bill payment app Papaya has named Bryan Haynes and Shemika Jones as chief revenue officer and chief compliance and risk officer, respectively. Haynes previously served as co-founder and group vice president of strategic sales at Blackhawk Network, while Jones served as the chief compliance and risk officer at PayNearMe.
Nathalie Kristo has joined PacificaBeauty as its new chief executive officer. Kristo was previously Huda Beauty’s chief executive officer.
Marketing automation platform Phonexa has promoted Mara Garcia to the role of chief financial officer. Garcia was previously the vice president of finance and accounting at the company.
Esther Kestenbaum Prozan has joined ecommerce logistics platform Flowspace as chief revenue officer. Prozan joins from Ruby Has Fulfillment, where she served as president.
Women’s apparel and intimates line Ruby Ribbon has appointed Dana Longas chief marketing officer. Long previously led the global brand and digital marketing teams for The Walt Disney Company.
Carsharing marketplace HyreCar has appointed A.J. Lee as senior vice president of growth and promoted Megan Behrensto senior vice president of product and operations. Lee joins HyreCar from transportation management platform Airspace.
From Your Site Articles
Read moreShow less
Molly Wright
Molly Wright is an intern for dot.LA. She previously edited the London School of Economics' student newspaper in the United Kingdom, interned for The Hollywood Reporter and was the blogging editor for UCLA's Daily Bruin.
mollywright@dot.la
Miso Robotics, Panera Bread Team on Coffee Monitoring System
05:00 AM | April 12, 2022
Courtesy of Miso Robotics
Pasadena-based Miso Robotics has partnered with yet another major restaurant chain to deploy its automated food-service technology—this time teaming with Panera Bread to roll out an AI-powered coffee monitoring system that aims to provide customers with freshly brewed coffee throughout the day.
Panera will begin using Miso’s CookRight Coffee system at select Midwest locations later this month, the companies said Tuesday. The technology uses proprietary sensors that can measure coffee temperature, how much coffee has been dispensed and how long since a newly brewed batch was last placed in a coffee urn, making it easier for Panera workers to maintain their coffee stations.
The tablet that Panera employees will use to check coffee metrics. Courtesy of Miso Robotics
Miso began developing CookRight Coffee in September with input from Panera, whose employees had complained that the constant back-and-forth of checking on the restaurant’s coffee dispensers was a time suck. Miso sought to address those concerns by designing a user interface that allows Panera employees to access and view a coffee station’s metrics on a tablet without needing to physically check the urns.
Miso Robotics chief strategy officer Jake Brewer.
Courtesy of Miso Robotics
“We are fortunate that Panera was seeking something to solve this need; at the same time, we were seeking to develop something to solve this for the [restaurant] industry,” Miso chief strategy officer Jake Brewer told dot.LA. “While [Panera employees are] doing their primary tasks—serving the guests and making food—they can always be monitoring the coffee.”
Brewer did not provide the price of the CookRight Coffee system or financial details of Miso’s partnership with Panera.
Last month, the robotics startup partnered with fast-casual chain Chipotle on an AI-enabled tortilla chip-making machine dubbed “Chippy,” which will be trialed at one of Chipotle’s Southern California locations later this year.
It’s also teamed with burger chain White Castle on a burger-flipping robot nicknamed “Flippy,” and is developing an automated soda fountain machine named “Sippy.”
“We’re able to scale products quicker and quicker, because we’re using the same building blocks,” Brewer said. “Coffee was just the next one that was kind of timed with a big customer who was looking for it.”
Miso, which is backed by Santa Monica-based food-tech incubator Wavemaker Labs, is currently in the process of raising a Series E funding round that initially launched with a $40 million target. Brewer said Miso has already secured more than $5 million in funding through the round, which he noted is now projected to raise between $25 million to $30 million in total capital.
From Your Site Articles
- Miso Robotics Is Preparing to Launch a $40M Series D Raise - dot.LA ›
- Miso Robotics, Chipotle Partner On Robot-Made Tortilla Chips - dot.LA ›
- Miso Robotics Staffs Jack in the Box with New Robot - dot.LA ›
Related Articles Around the Web
Read moreShow less
Decerry Donato
Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.
RELATEDTRENDING
LA TECH JOBS