Based on these efforts, we will launch four initiatives to accelerate the social implementation of electric small mobility in a safe and secure manner.
Electric kickboards are becoming a familiar “infrastructure for short-distance transportation” that can be used casually for shopping, short trips, commuting to work or school, or as a supplement to public transportation. However, there have also been cases of malicious illegal riding by some users. The company has taken safety measures such as requiring users to “pass a traffic rule test with a perfect score and answer all questions correctly in a row” and “submit age verification documents” before using kickboards, as well as holding training sessions and educating people about the rules.
With the advent of electric kickboards and other electric small mobility vehicles, the revised Road Traffic Law, which newly defines vehicle classifications, went into effect on July 1, 2023. The company’s LUUP vehicle sharing service has seen an increase in the number of LUUP ports, users, and rides over the past year; as of June 2024, the service was offered in 10 areas (Tokyo, Osaka, Yokohama, Kyoto, Utsunomiya, Kobe, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Sendai, and Fukuoka), with a nationwide port The number of vehicles offered is 8,200. The number of vehicles provided exceeded 20,000, including electric kickboards and electrically power assisted bicycles.
On June 25, Luup announced a new “Luup’s Safety and Security Action Plan 2024” in anticipation of the approximately one-year anniversary of the revision of the Road Traffic Law. The speaker was Mr. Daiki Okai, the company’s representative.
LUUP Safety and Security Action Plan 2024
Survey on the degree of understanding and penetration of traffic rules and awareness of educational activities
Promoting stricter penalties for violators through a traffic violation point system
Efforts to Promote Helmet Wearing
Nationwide development of “navigation functions” to support safe driving
The first is to measure the improvement in understanding of traffic rules by conducting periodic user surveys. In a survey conducted on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Law, the question was asked, “Where did you learn the traffic rules for electric kickboards? The majority of respondents (84.4%) answered that they learned them through LUUP’s traffic rule test. Through these surveys, we will explore more effective ways to deliver other learning content such as beginner’s guidebooks.
Second, a new system that imposes penalties for malicious illegal driving will be introduced on a trial basis in Tokyo and then rolled out nationwide. All violations, including minor ones, will be added to the user’s account, and once a certain number of points are reached, the account will be frozen for 30 days; after the 30-day suspension period, if the user is cited for illegal riding even once within one year, he or she will not be able to ride LUUP electric kickboards indefinitely. (According to data released by the National Police Agency, there have been no fatalities related to electric kickboards, which are classified as specified small motorized bicycles, in the past year since the enforcement of the revised Road Traffic Law.)
Third, the company will conduct campaigns and events to encourage the wearing of helmets, and plans to establish sales channels on major e-commerce sites this year, in response to the popularity of LUUP’s originally designed “foldable helmets” that were given away to 100 lucky winners in a drawing during the 2024 Spring National Traffic Safety Campaign. The company plans to establish sales channels on major e-commerce sites by the end of this year.
The fourth is a smartphone app that provides “recommended routes” to support safe riding of electric kickboards. The LUUP app has already been providing a trial function for the iOS version since April that uses the bicycle route search function of the NAVITIME API to navigate directions that do not include sidewalks or pedestrian bridges and travel only on the road. Based on feedback from users such as “My route now avoids main streets and takes me to roads with less traffic, making it easier for me to ride,” the company plans to expand the area of coverage nationwide.
At the press conference, LUUP’s new vehicle, the “Electric Seat Board,” was also unveiled for the first time, following on the heels of the electric bicycles and electric kickboards. This is a specific small moped with a seat and basket, which was not previously available in the sharing service, and is designed to be easy to ride for people with leg and back problems and suitable for people of all ages.
Okai said, “The most important thing is for LUUP users to obey traffic rules, but it is also important for safety to let non-users, such as pedestrians and car drivers, know what kind of riding is proper for specific small moped users and what kind of riding is illegal.
Regarding the new traffic violation point system, he said, “I am not going to defend violators. The only way is for violators to learn or stop using the LUUP. That is how strict we will be.
The company is “still in the process of being recognized as a part of the city’s infrastructure,” and will continue to take highly effective measures and update improvements to “ensure the safety and security of LUUP users and all those who live in towns where LUUPs are located.
© Source travel watch
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