If you have been downtown Raleigh or by NC State then you have seen the scooters either on the sidewalk or in the street. It seems that people either LOVE this mode of transportation or they HATE it. It is not for me to debate the greater good or ultimate evil but rather to illustrate how these mechanized modes of transportation are a great way to enter the gig way of life.
The job entails locating, taking temporary possession, recharging the unit, and returning it to a designated location. In order to get the job, which is an independent contractor position; one must apply. Applying for the position is not as hard as one might think. For the Bird scooter, the "application" is found on the Bird website. For the Lime S scooters visit the Lime website. You will need to be able to download the App. In addition to the application it is necessary to purchase the charging cords. These are similar to a laptop charging cord. Before you go out looking for extra cords be aware that the end pieces are not the same. Bird charges a deposit of $10/charger and will with hold your first $30 of earnings to cover your deposit. Lime will charge you $6 for a set of 4. Tip #1 be sure to follow up with both Bird and Lime if you have not been approved within 2 weeks. Be sure to use the zip code of the area where the scooters are to be picked up. You will need to be willing to charge and return scooters at least 3-4 times a week and have a vehicle large enough to carry several scooters. We have a crossover SUV but primarily use the Elantra as our commuter car and scooter transport. Better gas mileage and all.
Now that you have been approved to charge scooters be aware of some general "rules". You can acquire 20 Birds and 12 Limes per day. Birds and Limes must be returned to a designated spot before 7 AM. Birds must be returned between 4 AM and 7 AM while Limes may be returned at anytime before 7 AM. In order to be paid by either, the scooter must be fully charged. Prices paid are determined by the dollar amount assigned to the scooter. This is based on ease of acquisition in other words if it is in plain sight you will be paid the lowest amount. The harder the scooter is to locate the more it is worth, we refer to these higher priced scooters as "unicorns" because they rarely exist even if the map shows them. Scooters become available for charging based on their battery levels. Lime will release scooters if they drop below 17% charge. The lower the charge level the longer it will take to fully charge so keep in mind that if you need all night to recharge a 3% scooter battery do not pick up more scooters than you have chargers or you will be up half the night switching out. Tip #2, we suggest you get two $5 scooters with more than 50% charge rather than a $6 or $8 scooter with only 3% charge because you can recharge the higher charge % sooner. Tip #3, the chargers are interchangeable so if you have Lime scooter chargers they can be used to recharge Bird scooters and vice versa. Tip #4 when you set your scooters out in the early morning hours go ahead and see if there are any scooters which can be scooped up for recharging.
So you see, this is a super easy way to make a few extra dollars in a sort of scavenger hunt sort of way. Easy peasy and even somewhat fun! I would suggest buddying up and working as a pair or a team if nothing else it is very efficient. Up next is the next level with Uber Eats be sure to subscribe to learn the tricks and tips!
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