In Santa Maria, Sal Island, Cabo Verde, electric scooters have become very popular. They assist people to move around the city fast and with little effort. Scoot Smart has been the company that has laid out many scooters on the streets for years. The fact is that, whereas these scooters are boosting, they also have a few issues remaining.
The Problem with Scooter Parking
The major issue is the way in which people are parking the scooters. Most of the time, these scooters are parked in the wrong places. This is what troubles the rest of the pedestrians who want to get into the buildings or just walking on the sidewalks.
- In the middle of sidewalks
- In front of doorways
- Near bus stops
- On wheelchair ramps
These foolishly parked mopeds make it impossible for the population to get around, and worse off is the fact that disabled people are the hardest hit.
The Mysterious Scooter Mover
So, a man in Santa Maria by 2025 changed the scene, he chooses to help as he is acted to do. This work began in Santa Maria in 2025. This person began moving badly parked scooters to better spots. People don't know who this person is, so they call them the "Scooter-Vigilante". Scooter-Vigilante acts include:
- Moving scooters from sidewalks to places with proper parking
- Putting the scooters in rows in an ordered manner
- You sometimes put funny messages on the wrongly parked scooters
Public Reaction
One resident, another resident and a third resident, here are some different ideas about the Scooter Vigilante.
Those Who Support the Vigilante
According to a large part of the people, the Newport neighborhood has become a better, cleaner place ever since the donor had come on the scene. Here are their opinions:
- It looks cleaner
- Sidewalks are less crowded with these obstructions
- This way of handling these scooters senitises about the right ways of scooter usage
Those Who Disagree
A few people are of the opinion that the consequences may be:
- Is stealing someone else's property lawful?
- Will the scooters be damaged?
- Could it be difficult for other people to locate the scooters?
Scoot Smart's Response
The company, Scoot Smart, which owns these electric scooters, is in no way oblivious to this issue. They have said:
- We get the parking problem
- We are working on the problem
- The riders can park their scooters in a proper manner
- Scoot Smart has also started new programs to help fix the problem:
New Parking Rules
The company has made new laws that include the proper placement of the scooters. They have added these laws to their website and app. Riders must respect these rules or they may have to pay a fine.
Better Education
The precise intention of Scoot Smart is to remind the people of the right use and placement of scooters. They do this through:
- In-app tutorials
- Signs on the scooters
- Social media posts
Improved Technology
They are cooperating with the other project that is showing great results which are GPS tracking to find badly parked scooters. It is also giving the users alerts to follow the regulations of parking. The app now has the function to show the parking spots virtually.
Conclusion
Electrical scooters, which are now out of control in Santa Maria, are a perfect example of how modern technology unexpectedly brings new problems to the world. It also shows how, with the help of people, companies, and governments, such problems can be solved. The future cities around the world will be able to adapt the experience Santa Maria's had over the last few years when transportation means change dramatically.
One of the important contributions of the Scooter Vigilante to the discussions around responsible scooter use was the strong emotional response. Although the methods they used may provoke controversy, they took the lead in initiating a thought to be in proper scooter practices. While the inhabitants of Santa Maria have been grappling with the task of addressing this challenge, they still have proven to be a model to other cities who have just introduced these new technological transport means.
