Sprint superstar Usain Bolt jumps into Paris' crowded electric scooter market
AFP - [email protected]
Published: 16 May, 2019 CET.
Updated: Thu 16 May 2019 09:28 CET
Paris' already crowded electric scooter market is to get another new addition - thanks to sprint superstar Usain Bolt.
Electric scooters have become wildly popular but also controversial in Paris over the last year, helping commuters navigate traffic but also seen as a nuisance and a danger by others.
The athletics icon's brand Bolt Mobility, which he co-founded, joins an already crowded market for scooters, which users pick up and park anywhere in the city via an app.
"I travelled all around the world for all these years, saw so much traffic and the need for our scooters to help," the eight-time Olympic champion said at the launch of the sturdy-looking contraption.
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Photo: AFP
"I have been in Paris so many times, I saw the traffic here and for me it helps to get everybody around on time," he added.
Some 450 scooters emblazoned with his name are due to be deployed on the streets of Paris in the next few days.
But his entry into the market comes at a delicate time after Paris authorities warned operators of the thousands of electric scooters that have inundated the city to keep them off pavements or face a temporary ban.
On Monday, the ten competitors who have launched services in Paris all signed a "code of good conduct" with the mayor's office, which says the city is now "saturated" with the devices.
Bolt denied that he was too late out of blocks, saying his brand it worked with the Paris authorities.
"It's not about late, it's about doing it right," the Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder said.
"We took our time to do the right thing and talk to authorities and get everything right to be sure that when we launch everything is perfect".
He was due to sign the code of conduct later Wednesday.
Since retiring, Bolt had attempted to become a professional footballer but a trial with an Australian club ended late last year without success.
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Electric scooters have become wildly popular but also controversial in Paris over the last year, helping commuters navigate traffic but also seen as a nuisance and a danger by others.
The athletics icon's brand Bolt Mobility, which he co-founded, joins an already crowded market for scooters, which users pick up and park anywhere in the city via an app.
"I travelled all around the world for all these years, saw so much traffic and the need for our scooters to help," the eight-time Olympic champion said at the launch of the sturdy-looking contraption.
READ ALSO:
- Paris threatens electric scooter firms with ban
- How to avoid falling foul of Paris' new rules on electric scooters
- Paris brings in €135 fines in battle against rogue electric scooter riders
Photo: AFP
"I have been in Paris so many times, I saw the traffic here and for me it helps to get everybody around on time," he added.
Some 450 scooters emblazoned with his name are due to be deployed on the streets of Paris in the next few days.
But his entry into the market comes at a delicate time after Paris authorities warned operators of the thousands of electric scooters that have inundated the city to keep them off pavements or face a temporary ban.
On Monday, the ten competitors who have launched services in Paris all signed a "code of good conduct" with the mayor's office, which says the city is now "saturated" with the devices.
Bolt denied that he was too late out of blocks, saying his brand it worked with the Paris authorities.
"It's not about late, it's about doing it right," the Jamaican 100m and 200m world record holder said.
"We took our time to do the right thing and talk to authorities and get everything right to be sure that when we launch everything is perfect".
He was due to sign the code of conduct later Wednesday.
Since retiring, Bolt had attempted to become a professional footballer but a trial with an Australian club ended late last year without success.
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