Sint-Niklaas (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Hoppy launched 300 new AI-equipped shared scooters in Sint-Niklaas. With GPS limits, safety features, and tandem prevention, they cost €0.95 start + €0.18/min.
As VRT News reported, electric scooters are in Sint-Niklaas. However, they have also created problems for residents and pedestrians. Many people are frustrated by improperly parked scooters blocking the sidewalk, and some riders speed through pedestrian areas.
Now, Sint-Niklaas has chosen Hoppy, a company from Flanders, as its new partner. Hoppy was selected because they have a plan to reduce these problems and make riding safer. They plan to use new technology to achieve this.
What makes Hoppy’s new scooters safer in Sint-Niklaas?
Hoppy scooters in Sint-Niklaas are getting a safety upgrade. These new scooters have features like turn signals, better brakes, and thicker tires for a smoother ride. There are also new AI cameras. These cameras use artificial intelligence to watch where the scooters are being ridden.
If a scooter is on a sidewalk, the AI will automatically slow it down to 8 kilometres per hour. This also happens in areas with lots of people walking. Officials said this helps to ensure scooters and pedestrians can use the streets together safely. Sint-Niklaas hopes this will help make scooters a better, safer way to move around for everyone.
Hoppy, the new scooter organisation in Sint-Niklaas, is introducing initiatives to improve safety while riding. One big change is a “tandem riding prevention” system. This system uses sensors to stop 2 people from riding on the same scooter, which is against the rule. If the scooter senses an extra rider, it will shut down.
The scooters now have a special phone holder. They said this allows riders to use their phones while never removing their hands from the handlebars, which assists in preventing accidents. Hoppy is hopeful that these new features will promote scooters being a safer form of transportation in Sint-Niklaas.
Sint-Niklaas is adjusting its shared scooter rules to improve safety and manage where they can be used. The city has decreased the areas where scooters are allowed. People can’t ride them outside the city centre anymore, which includes popular spots like Nieuwkerken and the De Ster recreation area.
Even within the city centre, some places are now off-limits. For example, scooters aren’t permitted in the city park, where people complained about riders bothering pedestrians, or in Tereken cemetery, where quiet is expected. The scooters use GPS technology to make sure they stay within the permitted zones.
To use a Hoppy scooter, it costs €0.95 to start, and then people pay €0.18 for each minute they ride. These changes are meant to support modern ways of getting around while keeping things safe.
