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City launches “world’s first” tele-operated e-scooter fleet

Posted: 21 May 2020 |

Working with scooter firms Tortoise and Go X, the e-scooter fleet in Peachtree Corners can reportedly deliver themselves to a rider’s door and return back to a designated parking spot after use.

e-scooter fleet

The City of Peachtree Corners, U.S. has announced the launch of a fleet of the “world’s first tele-operated e-scooters” to operate on public streets.

The City is working with scooter rental companies Tortoise and Go X, which recently combined forces to offer an e-scooter that has the ability, through the use of remote tele-operators, to reposition itself back to a parking spot – or to respond to a request for an e-scooter to be delivered to a customer’s door.

Peachtree Corners has been working with the two companies to develop e-scooter mobility in the city, and the new technology is said to solve two issues that have plagued the industry: finding a scooter and returning a scooter to a home base for safe parking, charging and cleaning.

The e-scooters will operate in the city’s Technology Park Atlanta, a 500-acre existing technology park that is home to over 7,000 employees. The tele-operated e-scooters will be available for use by the general public and will operate on the city’s new 1.5-mile autonomous vehicle test track that runs alongside lanes used by the motoring public as well as other streets in Tech Park.

“We are excited to showcase this innovative technology,” said Mayor Mike Mason. “It’s another opportunity for the city to look beyond traditional transportation and seek innovative ways to improve mobility. We invite our citizens and the business community to see and experience this new technology.”

The initial pilot will run for six months and it is said to mark the first time ever that tele-operated e-scooters are deployed on public streets.

“An important goal for us was to ensure that residents can enjoy the convenience of using e-scooters, right here in Peachtree Corners,” said City Manager, Brian Johnson. “As a reflection of our commitment to making cities smarter, we didn’t hesitate to partner with Tortoise to launch the first-ever fleet of self-driving e-scooters for public use. We are extremely pleased to be a partner in this innovative and world-changing technology.”