LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Usain Bolt looks on ahead of Soccer Aid for Unicef 2022 at London Stadium on June 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/WireImage)
Tech - News
Usain Bolt's Scooter Company Has Seemingly Imploded
By MONICA J. WHITE
Bolt Mobility, the start-up co-founded by iconic Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt, has seemingly vanished without a word. Although its official website is still up, detailing its electric scooters and e-bikes, TechCrunch reported that Bolt Mobility has stopped operating in Portland, Oregon, Richmond, California, and Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski in Vermont.
Using the Bolt Mobility app, customers were able to rent one of the company's light electric vehicles and then park them when they were done, leaving them for the next users to pick up — but now hundreds of pieces of equipment lie abandoned and cannot be used due to a lack of battery charge. The heaps of equipment naturally drew the attention of city officials.
Unfortunately, neither city officials nor TechCrunch were able to reach anyone related to the company, including the CEO Ignacio Tzoumas and Bolt. The affected cities are now setting dates for Bolt Mobility to collect the bikes before they will do it themselves in order to repurpose them. Strangely enough, Bolt seemingly continues to operate in some areas like St. Augustine.