Unagi, the pioneering portable electric scooter company that has made a splash with celebrities and pop stars, has launched a subscription service.
The service, called Unagi All-Access, will be offered in New York City and Los Angeles. The company said it wanted to expand into other markets by collecting customer feedback and improving the service.
Customers can choose between two floors. There will be a monthly pay-as-you-go plan that costs $ 39 per month and a discounted annual plan for $ 34 per month. Unagi charges an initial installation fee of $ 50, which means that the first month will cost customers $ 89. The fixed monthly fee includes maintenance and insurance for theft or damage to the scooter.
Once a customer subscribes, an assembled Model One scooter is shipped home within 24 hours, Unagi promises. The Uno model costs $ 990 for customers who want to buy the scooter permanently.
When a customer cancels the subscription, Unagi recovers the scooter, which is then subjected to an 80-point inspection. Unagi tells ProWellTech that it is the same inspection that scooters go to the factory. There is no written guarantee that subscribers will receive a new scooter. However, Unagi said that customers are likely to have new scooters because the company has increased production since the start of the pandemic to meet demand.
It's a risk for Unagi, but what the company is betting on will pay off between - and after - the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This model is suitable for today's world: when cities reopen, people are rethinking how they get to the supermarket, post office and park," according to the company's recent blog post announcing the service. "The data show that cautious COVID consumers are afraid of shared transportation, whether it's the subway, an Uber or a shared scooter. They are looking for safer alternatives. "
The company was already looking for a subscription service before COVID-19 spread worldwide, according to CEO David Hyman.
Unagi tested the idea last fall. A more in-depth study was launched in the spring in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Haas Business School which determined that demand was higher than expected.
"COVID has just strengthened our desire to do it live and it has been the stimulus to move to live in Los Angeles and New York at the same time," Hyman told ProWellTech in an email.
Unagi is not alone in this scooter subscription pin, or in what we like to call hardware as a service. Others are also pursuing this business model, including Dance and You.
