Posted on 11/06/2025 7:22:52 AM PST by DallasBiff
They’re looking for Jimmy Hoffa.
I thought you couldn't rent a scooter without a heft security deposit to assure the company would get it back. If you don't return it, you get charged for it. I wonder how those policies work.
People throw rental scooters (like those from Bird, Lime, or Spin) into lakes, rivers, or oceans for a mix of reasons, often tied to frustration, vandalism, or sheer mischief. Here's a breakdown:
Many view the scooters as symbols of invasive tech companies flooding cities without permission. Early rollouts (around 2017–2018) involved "dumping" thousands of scooters on sidewalks overnight, leading to clutter and fines for cities. Throwing them in water became a protest act—think "corporate sabotage lite."
Scooters are often left haphazardly, blocking sidewalks, ramps, or driveways. Pedestrians (especially those with disabilities) get annoyed and retaliate by yeeting them into nearby water as "instant cleanup."
Viral trends on TikTok, YouTube, or old Vine-era videos encouraged "scooter tossing" challenges. It's low-effort content: film the throw, rack up views.
Some try to steal scooters for parts (batteries, motors) but abandon them in water if chased or if they sink unexpectedly.
Companies use GPS to retrieve them, but many end up as "scooter graveyards" underwater—divers in places like San Diego have pulled out hundreds.
It's dumb, destructive, and pollutes waterways with batteries and plastics, but it persists as a weird urban rebellion. If you've seen a specific incident, details could pinpoint the motive.
Shenanigans.
Ricky, Bubbles tossed them in to hide them from Mr. Leahy.
The group of people who rent scooters contains an inordinately high number of people who find it more convenient to dump them in a nearby lake than to return them and pay for the time over the rental contract. Scoots are also easy to steal and joyride and what do you do with a scoot you have stolen when you are done with it? If it is at the bottom of a lake it will not be found likely for a long time, if ever, and there is little chance of recovering fingerprints et al from it.
I lived in Europe when the fad of rental scooters started. When I was in Gdansk Poland tourists rented the stupid things and ran in to people and buildings and would just leave them all over the place. Within a couple weeks every one of the scooters ended up in the river. The locals were fed up.
No, I'm sure it was ruffians.
Scalawags, blackguards, scofflaws and ne'er-do-wells. That's just Austin's city council.
That’s where the bullies toss them. Too heavy for cable lines.
If you know how to ride a bike well they aren’t bad. I’ve rented them a few times when I was at a trade show. I had injured my foot. I could stand OK, but it hurt to walk any great distance. I used rental scooters to get to and from the hotel for the days I was there.
I support the idea. It’s completely free market. The companies didn’t prostrate themselves and beg cities to allow them. They just dropped a bunch off on Monday morning and let people rent them.
New TikTok trend? Film a scooter going into the lake?
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