It’s the end of the road for Hartford’s electric scooters. Could they roll back to the city one day?
The bright green electric scooters many Hartford residents use to get around the city quickly and conveniently will soon be gone. Here's why.
The bright green electric scooters many Hartford residents use to get around the city quickly and conveniently will soon be gone.
Superpedestrian, the city operator of Link scooters, announced it is ceasing operations nationwide by the end of the year. A spokesperson for the company confirmed the news in an email. The company is ceasing operations in the U.S. due to unspecified financial reasons, according to a report from TechCrunch. However, the startup had raised $125 million just 18 months ago.
“Although it’s disappointing that Superpedestrian will be ending their operations in the United States, the city of Hartford remains committed to supporting multimodal transit, including the operation of e-scooters,” said Mayor Luke Bronin in a statement. “We are in close contact with CRCOG and hope to work together to find a new provider for our scooter program, which was extremely successful and has had hundreds of thousands of rides since we launched in 2021.”
The scooters, which can be seen scattered around the city, have been popular over the last few years. Since scooters came to Hartford in 2021, the program has seen nearly 500,000 rides and over 920,000 miles travelled on them, according to a press release. They remain heavily used with many residents including commuters and students traveling into downtown.
Hartford resident Gannon Long is one of those residents. She spends a couple of mornings each week using Link scooters to get to work downtown.
“They are easy to use, sturdy, and have lights so they are safe to use at night or early morning,” Long said. “I go from the west side of the city to the east side downtown and it’s about a 15-minute ride. It’s maybe a couple of minutes longer than it takes you by car. But it’s a very enjoyable trip.”
Long, who like many residents doesn’t own a car, said the scooter is a great alternative to navigate the city’s streets. In Hartford, 35% of households in the city do not own cars, according to state data.
“You don’t have to worry about leaving your car somewhere all day,” Long said. “Or you don’t have to worry if something happens to your car, since they are expensive to maintain. You just get on the app and leave the scooter where you leave it and then someone else takes it. It’s very simple to use.”
Caitlin Palmer, director of Regional Planning and Development at CRCOG, said there may be a different provider in the future.
“Superpedestrian has been a dedicated and responsive partner over the last two years and we’re sorry to lose them as our operator,” said Palmer. “Despite this setback, we are in a very good position moving forward. We’ve learned a lot through this process and as we consider our options for a future micromobility program, we know that we are a successful market with strong ridership numbers.”
The Massachusetts-based transportation company operates scooters in some 60 cities across the U.S. and Europe, according to its website.
The city, which offered a reduced fare program for qualifying scooter riders, is now urging residents to take public bus transportation instead. Around 800 residents signed up for the special scooter program, according to the city. Through the LINK app, riders can load money onto prepaid debit cards for rides. The company has not commented on whether riders are eligible for refunds.
“I think it’s going to be a disruption,” Long said. “I will have to take the bus more or work from home more now. I do have an electric scooter I bought a while back. But I never really got it off the ground because part of the issue is storage. Where do I put it? Do I bring it up the elevator with me at work? So it’s nice to have a Link scooter that you don’t have to worry about or lock up during the day. It’s a huge convenience that’s now gone.”
The scooters will remain in operation until Dec. 31, according to the company.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com