- E-scooter startup
Revel will cease operations in New York City until further notice, the company announced Tuesday. - Revel scooters were involved in two fatal crashes in the city in the past month alone, leading to increased scrutiny of the company.
- A 32-year-old man died after crashing a Revel into a light pole in Queens this week. Days earlier, a 26-year-old woman riding a Revel was killed in a crash in Brooklyn. Two other men were hospitalized after a crash this month.
Scooter-sharing startup Revel will cease operations in New York City "until further notice," the company said Tuesday.
The announcement comes after two fatal collisions involving Revel scooters in the past month, which have drawn increased scrutiny of the startup. Revel said it will review its safety measures in collaboration with city officials while its service is shut down in the city.
—Revel (@_GoRevel) July 28, 2020
Nina Kapoor, a 26-year-old CBS reporter, died earlier this month in a Revel crash in Brooklyn. Kapoor was the passenger on a revel moped that crashed after the moped's driver suddenly swerved, New York Daily News reported. It was the first known Revel-related death in the city.
Ten days later, a 32-year-old Queens man was killed after slamming a Revel moped into a light pole, according to law enforcement. The same week, two men were hospitalized after crashing a Revel moped in Upper Manhattan, and one was left in critical condition.
Revel first rolled out short-term moped rentals in New York City in March. Since then, it's come under increasing scrutiny over safety concerns — at least four lawsuits have been filed against the company in the city, CBS News reported. Officials at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx told CNN that there's been an uptick in Revel-related injuries since the service was rolled out.
New York City was one of the first cities where Revel scooters were piloted — the company has over 1,400 rental mopeds in New York and Washington, D.C. The startup raised $27.6 million in capital as of October, touting its plans to expand to more cities, according to TechCrunch.
When reached for comment, a Revel spokesperson reiterated the company's tweeted statement but declined to comment further.