Source: John Lamparski / Getty
Hey, New Yorkers, those Revel scooters are officially back, but there is a whole new set of safety guidelines that need to be followed before you can power one up.
Yesterday (Aug.27), Revel announced that it is restoring its electric moped service in New York City. When riders open up the app and prepare to rent one of the mopeds, they will be greeted by a bevy of new protective measures designed to keep them, passengers, and others safe. One of the newest features will have riders take a selfie of themselves and their passenger wearing a helmet and uploading it through the app. Once approved, the company will turn on the moped.
Don’t have a helmet? Don’t worry because Revel will gladly sell you a personal one through its website for $35 plus shipping and handling.
The company worked with New York City on the new safety measures after it decided to suspend the service in late July, which became ridiculously popular during the COVID-19 pandemic following the death of two riders and left another critically injured.
The helmet selfie isn’t the only thing riders will have to do. A mandatory safety test has also been added to the app, and ALL riders, regardless of how long you have been using the service, are required to take and pass it before operating the moped. New York Customers will have to take the test immediately while riders in Oakland, Austin, and DC can still ride without having to take the test until April 1.
In the test that Revel partnered with The Behavioral Insights Team (BIT) to develop, riders will be asked 21 questions about safety training, helmet requirements, traffic laws, rules about where you can drive the bikes, an instructional video, and more. Revel is also expanding free in-person meetings across New York City, offering over 1,000 lessons per week across the boroughs of Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.
The company’s suspension policy has also been made stricter to further scare riders from breaking the rules. Riding on a sidewalk, on a highway or any road with a speed limit over 40 mph, sharing your account with anyone, riding with a passenger who is under 18 and failing to report an accident will result in immediate account suspension. Other infractions like running red lights, riding without a helmet, riding down a one-way street in the wrong direction, riding in a bike lane, on a major bridge or in a tunnel, in a park, will result in a warning or temporary suspension. Multiple infractions will lead to your account being permanently suspended.
Reckless driving such as wheelies, weaving in and out of traffic, running red lights, riding with more than one passenger, and doing donuts will also result in a temporary suspension.
Revel is also leaning on the public’s help to keep riders in check. Even if you don’t have an account New Yorkers will be able to pull up the app and report riders they see acting a damn fool on the mopeds. So don’t be out here acting crazy you will get snitched on swiftly.
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Photo: John Lamparski / Getty
