Thursday, May 24, 2018

Goat Launches Dockless Scooters In Austin

Austin-based startup GOAT has launched its dockless scooter service into its hometown, after finally receiving regulatory approval by the city to deploy its scooters around town. GOAT had been on hold for its launch, despite the rush of competitors from out of town, including Bird and LimeBike, who had planned to launch without getting approvals from the city. GOAT disclosed on Thursday that it will deploy up to 500 scooters in Austin as part of the launch. The company, led by CEO Michael Schramm, faces some stiff competition from . GOAT had complained to the ABJ earlier this month that it might face an insurmountable uphill battle if those competitors were allowed to launch without playing by the rules. LimeBike suspended its operations last month after Austin started prohibiting those dockless scooters; Bird just received a permit for its operations on Tuesday, after a number of its scooters were confiscated by the city earlier this month.