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If I had a Podcast I’d want Michael Keating, the founder of Scoot Networks, to be my first guest. Our discussion: Can the broken window theory explain why we see scooters in trees?
As a former Political Scientist who lived in a Giuliani NYC, one sentence in his latest blog post had me blurt out loud “OF COURSE!!!” … “An unsecured vehicle looks like a vehicle that no one cares about and that you shouldn’t care about either.”
By locking scooters to bike racks Scoot has increased the life of a scooter 6x the industry useful life LINK
- THE BROKEN WINDOW THEORY: Visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior, and civil disorder create an urban environment that encourages further crime and disorder, including serious crimes. The theory thus suggests that policing methods that target minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking, and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes. LINK
- FLASHBACK: The 1982 Atlantic Article that introduced the theory to the world. LINK
Mikey ? call me
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And speaking of fare evasion … In 2018, NYC lost $215 million to fare beaters, so Newsmagazine Inside Edition visits subway stations to confront freeloaders… and the internet goes bananas calling the segment “Predatory and Classist” LINK
Bank robber uses Lyft as a getaway car to the Airport. A bank employee recognized the robber as a regular customer when his crooked nose slipped out of his mask. Once caught, he confessed to the crime and admitted he ?♀️ sent photos of the stolen money to a friend. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Austin Teenager robs a bank. Makes get-away on Uber-owned Jump electric scooter. Uber gives police the teens name, address, credit card number and route he took from the bank to his apartment. LINK
A record 7 million Americans are 90 days or more behind on their auto loan payments. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Used-car sales boom as new cars get too pricey for many. The price gap between new and pre-owned cars has widened to a near decade high. LINK
Porsche and Audi reverse-engineer a Tesla Model 3 and said, “How ist das so cheap?” LINK
Airbnb just hired Virgin America’s former CEO as Chief Transportation Officer. LINK H/T @laplazapedro via Slack Group
- FLASHBACK: Brian Chesky, Co-founder of Airbnb, asks “Let’s say you could wave a magic wand and have the perfect flying experience, what would that look like? ” LINK
In celebration of Black History Month Lyft is offering free rides to EyeSeeMe African American Children’s Bookstore and four other Black History sites. LINK
General Motors’ is offering a $25,000 reward to anyone who has information about nooses and other racist symbols appearing at their Powertrain plant in Toledo, OH. The reward is offered through a program overseen by the FBI. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Nine African-Americans who are employees or former employees of General Motors Co.’s Toledo Transmission plant have filed a lawsuit alleging the company allowed overt acts of racism to take place in the plant in the spring of 2017. LINK
- FLASHBACK: Longtime civil rights activist and two-time Democratic Presidential nominee Reverend Jesse Jackson suggests surveillance cameras and secret police come in to catch the potential offender. LINK
Did you know that electric cars are hard on tires? The immediate torque that their motors develop chews up rubber. So… logically …. self-driving electric cars could be great for the tire industry LINK
Electric Black Cabs in London forced to use petrol. There are just 11 taxi-only, rapid-charge-points in the center of London – one for every 100 electric black cabs. TfL has been pushing for drivers to buy these electric vehicles, costing over $70,000, to try and cut down on pollution. LINK
You can now use Bitcoin to pay for buses, subways, and trains in 37 Argentinian CitiesLINK