Are Scooters a thing now?

Controversial opinion: I like the scooters.

I live in Chicago, and this June, my neighborhood was thrown into chaos by thousands of rogue scooters. It wasn't an uninspired surrealist dream brought on by a white wine hangover, it was Chicago's pilot program allowing 10 scooter rideshare companies to sell rides on 25,000 scooters throughout the city. The premise was simple: See a scooter, download an app, pay by the minute, and leave the scooter wherever you end your ride.

I was skeptical for about ten minutes until I realized what a great value proposition they were for me. I live  .75 miles from the nearest grocery store. Every time I go shopping I walk for 30 minutes, carrying a week's worth of food for half of that. I am not ashamed to say that I have Ubered back from the grocery store more than once, at a cost of $5-$7. Ok maybe I am a little ashamed.

By scooter, the trip is seven minutes each way. Each trip is under $2.50. Magnificent.

So the value is there for me, and probably for others as well. I'm using the scooters for trips that I otherwise might have used a rideshare service for, and saving money in the process. Is it possibly that such a useful service could be provided for just the price of a few dollars and the complete loss of all gravitas? Are these things making any money? Are they priced for the long term, or will this amazing value disappear when scooter-offering companies actually need to make a profit from their customers?

This series will explore whether scooter companies are or can be profitable.