American transportation robotics company Superpedestrian has launched its LINK shared e-scooter fleet in the Algarve capital of Faro. The fleet comprises 150 e-scooters, “a number which will double by the end of the month”.
In a statement to the press, the company announced that all riders will enjoy free unlocks during the launch period.
Superpedestrian will also add an additional €5, €15 or €30 for free when riders load their “in-app wallets with €5, €10 and €15 respectively during the entire launch period”.
The per-minute travel fee is 17 cents and the Superpedestrian service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To rent an e-scooter, riders simply need to download the “LINK” app from the Google Play Store or Apple Store.
“This is truly a scooter that is here to stay,” says the company. “It is the toughest scooter on the market, with durable, high-quality hardware backed up by advanced active safety features powered by onboard computers and artificial intelligence.
“The service is here to stay, too: Superpedestrian has never withdrawn its service from any market during the licence period, nor has a Superpedestrian fleet ever been suspended or expelled from any city,” it adds.
While it has expanded to the Algarve for the first time, Superpedestrian’s service is already available in Lisbon where it says it has proved “extremely popular with residents, with 100,000km ridden on LINK scooters in the first four weeks”.
Explains the company, “LINK e-scooters are longer and wider than alternative models, with strong front suspension, wide handlebars, triple brakes and weatherproofed sealed batteries.
“The safety features and robustness of our scooter allow you to ride comfortably even on the most bumpy surfaces, such as Faro’s historic city centre,” says João Afonso, Operations Manager at Superpedestrian in Portugal.
According to the company, Faro residents will receive “the very latest safety features, including Superpedestrian’s advanced self-diagnostic systems (which run 1,000 vehicle health checks every second to ensure every scoter ride is safe) and onboard geofencing (which does not suffer cellular delays in preventing scooters from entering protected spaces)”.
Faro will also “benefit from Superpedestrian’s revolutionary new Pedestrian Defense system,” the company says.
“This feature not only detects unsafe behaviours, such as sidewalk riding, but intervenes in real-time to end unsafe rides. The groundbreaking new system is undergoing real-world testing and will be added to the Faro fleet next year.
“We’re delighted to bring Superpedestrian’s LINK e-scooters to Faro as our second Portuguese city,” says Haya Verwoord Douidri, VP (Markets, Policy and Strategy) at Superpedestrian.
“I’m confident Faro’s citizens will love our build quality and safety. At the same time, we will also bring more accessible and cost-effective solutions to enable everyone to take a LINK ride.”
