App-Based Moped Fleet Expands To 20 BK, Queens Neighborhoods

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — A moped ride-sharing app that was contained to three Brooklyn neighborhoods will now connect riders from down in Industry City up to Astoria, the company announced this week.

Tech-startup Revel revealed its fleet of 1,000 new electronic mopeds at its assembly warehouse at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Wednesday morning. The new rides will replace the 68 older moped models that the company had launched last summer and contained to Greenpoint, Williamsburg and Bushwick.

Now, riders in 20 new neighborhoods — stretching from Sunset Park up to Astoria and out to Ridgewood and Crown Heights — can access the minute-to-minute rental service.

The expansion, owners said, will help meet the demand of about 4,000 current users who have said they would use the electronic mopeds to go further in the boroughs.

"We've had one consistent question — from literally the day that we launched until right now, that question has been, 'When are you expanding?'" co-founder Paul Suhey said. "We're excited to stand here today to be able to connect more neighborhoods, connect more communities, and connect more people."

Users who pay Revel's $19 sign-up fee by sending in a selfie and a photo of their driver's license can rent the mopeds for 25 cents per minute. The mopeds are allowed only on streets, not the sidewalk, and can be left in any parking spot instead of in stations like other rental options, such as Citibike, owners said.

The mopeds also include 40 percent discounts for riders using public assistance programs or who live in NYCHA housing. The sign-up fee includes a free riding class.

Revel founders tout the electric vehicles as an affordable, safe and environmentally-friendly option to get around locally. The mopeds are not allowed on major highways or bridges, or into Manhattan.

"It's also a lot of fun," co-founder Frank Reig said. "If you get on a Revel, you'll find yourself smiling and you won't even know why. The reason is this experience lets you experience the city in a different way."

Reig and Suhey answered questions about the safety of the ride service Wednesday by saying that their company's pilot program in Williamsburg, Greenpoint and Bushwick has helped improve and confirm that riders are following the rules and are protected.

The 4,000 riders who have signed up for Revel during that time have followed reminders that come up on the app and at the beginning of the ride to not use the mopeds and go into Manhattan, they said.

Even though they are smaller and top out at 30 mph, mopeds have been shown to be just as dangerous to riders as motorcycles, according to the Motorcycle Legal Foundation.

Reig and Suhey said they try to avoid this risk by screening each rider using their driver's license photo. The screening looks at the users driving record and won't allow them to rent if they have speeding tickets above 30 mph, driving under the influence charges or if their license is suspended, Reig said.

Each moped also comes with two Department of Transportation-certified helmets for the 180-pound mopeds. Reig added that the mopeds are as easy to ride as a bicycle.

Wednesday's announcement included a proclamation from the City Council, presented by Speaker Corey Johnson's office, that "honors Revel Transit for providing more environmentally friendly transportation alternatives in New York City."

All 1,000 mopeds will be ready to ride by this weekend. 200 of them were already added to the boroughs Wednesday morning.

"(Revel is a) transit option that is built for today's New York," Suhey said. "We know we have a lot of work to do, but today we're taking a thousand small steps forward to meeting New York's transit needs."