Revel suspends moped rentals in New York after two deaths
NEW YORK - A company behind electric moped rentals in New York City has shut its service down in New York City to review safety measures after two recent deaths.
In a posting on its website and Twitter, Revel says the closure is "until further notice" while it reviews and strengthens rider accountability and safety measures.
The latest death took place on Tuesday morning when a man crashed into a light pole on Woodhaven Boulevard in Queens. Jeremy Malave, 32, of Brooklyn, failed to properly navigate the roadway and struck the pole in the center median, said police.
The other death was CBS2 New York reporter Nina Kapur. She was a passenger on a Revel moped that crashed in Brooklyn earlier this month. She died a short time after the crash at Bellevue Hospital.
"If they don't come back with a way to make this service safe, we won't allow them to reopen at all," Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a morning press availability.
Revel is a ride-sharing startup that operates in several U.S. cities. It launched in New York and has continued to expand operations.
It allows anyone 21 or older with a driver's license, no DUIs, and fewer than two speeding tickets who consents to a check of their driving record to climb onto a machine that tops out at 29 mph for just 25 cents and rip around the streets of the nation's largest city in the few phone-taps and minutes it takes to register.
The rentals come with helmets but some users have opted not to use them.