Going into the trip I knew I wanted to make good use of the B-Cycle network within Nashville, a docked bike-share which makes getting a few miles across the city much easier. However, since my last visit, Nashville has opened up to dock_less_ electric scooters. After some initial troubles getting them to work, I found that the scooters were a lot more fun to ride around when compared to the bikes.

The high points of using a scooter are:

  1. They’re fast. Maxing out at 15mph, you can easily keep up with downtown traffic.
  2. They’re convenient. No looking for the nearest bike dock (which might be full or closed).
  3. They’re crazy fun. Awesome acceleration, and you feel like a kid again riding a scooter.

The scooters are operated by a mish-mosh of companies; Uber, Lyft, Bird, Lime, and others all had scooters available lining the streets. Pricing was reasonable at ~$1 to get started and then $0.15/min after that. Of course, after riding them all day long you could easily rack up a $10-20 bill, which seems slightly less reasonable for a day’s worth of riding. Compared to a day’s worth of Ubering around, however, the scooters allow you to take more rides shorter distances, whereas Ubering for the price-conscious would demand more careful itinerary planning to ensure fewer trips.

For getting some exercise on a nice day and if you have something to carry, B-Cycle is still a better option. Unless you have a backpack or side bag, you won’t be riding an electric scooter and carrying items in your hands - too difficult to maneuver safely. For times when ultimate convenience is desired, or just a bit of fun, the scooters are an excellent choice.