Need a lift? Electric scooters are coming to Galveston, but there is a catch

Ryan O'Neal of Galveston said he expects to officially launch his new business Crab Scooters come late January or early February. O'Neal said the scooters will provide visitors and residents with a low-cost, environmentally friendly form of transportation that hasn't been offered to the island before. less Ryan O'Neal of Galveston said he expects to officially launch his new business Crab Scooters come late January or early February. O'Neal said the scooters will provide visitors and residents with a low-cost, ... more Photo: Ryan O'Neal Photo: Ryan O'Neal Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Need a lift? Electric scooters are coming to Galveston, but there is a catch 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

By the end of January, Galveston Island will be crawling with Crab...Scooters.

Ryan O'Neal of Galveston said he expects to officially launch his new business Crab Scooters come late January or early February. O'Neal said the scooters will provide visitors and residents with a low-cost, environmentally friendly form of transportation that hasn't been offered to the island before.

"The issue that comes with scooters is dockless ride sharing [and] that is not a sustainable model," O'Neal said.

The dockless ride sharing model other scooter companies like Bird and Lime use can create an eyesore for cities when riders leave the scooters on sidewalks and in streets, or vandalize them.

Scooter companies have fought with cities over ordinances to fix this problem in the past, but O'Neal said his company side sweeps the issue of dockless ride sharing with a new model he hopes to eventually bring to other markets.

"It's basically an online service with local delivery," O'Neal said. "What we are trying to do is just take a more responsible, controlled approach to integrating scooters into society and we don't think it's been done before."

Similar to Uber or Lyft, Crab Scooters are delivered directly to the rider and then picked up once a rider is done travelling. Users must be 18 and up to ride and safety equipment and a 5 minute safety and traffic etiquette class are provided upon delivery.

"That gives us and Galveston a really good opportunity that doesn't exit for any other city, a smart controlled, smart integration of electric scooters," O'Neal said.

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It costs $15 for the first hour to rent a Crab Scooter and $10 for every hour after. O'Neal said the initial launch will have users request the scooters through a phone number that connects them to a representative. He said he hopes to have an app ready by April.

O'Neal said his company will maintain a small fleet of scooters that travel about 15 miles per hour and have an 18 mile range. He said once he launches in Galveston, he hopes to bring his electric scooter model to other markets.

"We are looking at large markets that have abandoned dockless ride sharing that do want the scooters but not the headaches," O'Neal said.

For more information on Crab Scooters, visit the businesses' Facebook page.