Unagi's take-home scoot subscription service hits NYC and LA
It’s the only scooter subscription that allows you to take the scooter home.
Another scooter-share service has hit the streets of two major American cities, but scooter manufacturer Unagi claims its All-Access subscription is markedly different than what’s already on the market. Starting today, those in New York and Los Angeles can rent their own Unagi scooter and ride it as long as they have a subscription -- without having to share their scooter with anyone else.
As scooter shares popped up in major cities around the world, so have a host of problems. Scooters are often stolen or trashed. Local governments have grappled scooter-related issues, with some choosing to subject scooters to a permitting process or banning them in certain areas. Sometimes, the scooters themselves aren’t the best quality. Lime, one of the bigger scooter-share companies, has its own subscription service -- but the scooters are still shared between customers.
Unagi says its scooters were designed to answer these issues. The company set out to build a “Tesla-quality electric scooter” that would be comparable to “riding a magic carpet.” Upon the scooter’s 2018 release, Engadget praised the scooter’s stylish looks and power options, but noted that carrying it around may be a chore.
As long as your Unagi All-Access subscription is active, the scooter is yours to take home. If you want to skip public transit in pandemic conditions, toting around a 22-24 pound scooter may be a worthy tradeoff.
If you’re worried about theft or vandalism, Unagi All-Access has insurance included with the subscription fee. Should you run into any maintenance issues, Unagi said it will give you a replacement scooter within 24 hours.
There are two Unagi All-Access plans: a pay-as-you-go monthly plan for $39 per month, which can be cancelled at any time, and a $408 annual plan, which is the equivalent of about $34 per month. That’s a bit pricier than Lime’s $4.99 per week rate, but considering the quality of Unagi scooters and the service’s answers to common scooter share problems, the cost could make sense for a lot of potential riders.
