Bike and scooter sharing business is booming, but not without growing pains

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Razor Scooter is the third e-scooter company to launch in Tempe, along with Lime and Bird scooters. It's a convenient way to get to and from certain locations that may only be a few miles apart -- definitely more eco-friendly and cost-saving than a car, but would you feel safe riding one?

Arizona State University student Alex Dengler loves using e-scooters on campus.

"I've used them multiple times throughout the day, just in case I got to get to class real quick. They're actually a convenient thing around campus."

How e-scooters work: Riders first need to download the app, find an available scooter on the app's map, then scan a code to unlock the scooter when they arrive. It's pretty affordable -- just $0.15 per minute to ride.

"It's a double-wide deck to make it easier to balance on. It's a rigid steel frame, UL-compliant battery, soft air tire in the front," explained Razor COO Danny Simon.

Simon says his scooters provide an exceptionally comfortable ride and his company made sure to get approval from the local government.

"Competition is always a good thing. I think by having three different companies here, all it's going to do is drive down prices, increase customer service, and increase the willingness of those companies to work with the city of Tempe in a way that mitigates the adverse effects of these technologies," said City of Tempe council member Kolby Granville.

But Granville admits there are critics concerned about safety.

"People using scooters in unsafe ways, whether it's near pedestrians, parks, sidewalks, wrong-way traffic."

When we asked the Dengler about these concerns, he said he believes they will go away over time.

"I have seen people have accidents on them before, but I feel like the more people use them and get to know how to use them, they'll be easier to use."

Meanwhile, the Tempe City Council says it's looking into putting in safety regulations for all three of these new e-scooter companies to keep pedestrians and drivers safe. The council members hope to have the new regulations in place in the next two to four months.

Online: www.razor.com/share