NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Moped ride-sharing service Revel has issued new safety requirements in wake of several deadly crashes in New York City this summer.
Revel has unveiled a mandatory 20-minute safety training program on its app and said users will also be required to submit a selfie wearing a helmet before each ride.
The company suspended its service indefinitely in New York City on July 28, hours after police said a 32-year-old Brooklyn man died after crashing into a light pole while riding a Revel scooter in Queens.
Days earlier, 26-year-old CBS New York reporter Nina Kapur was killed in a moped crash in Manhattan.
A 30-year-old Bronx man, who suffered serious head injuries in a Revel scooter crash in Washington Heights on July 25, sucumbed to his injuries nearly two weeks later.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called Revel suspending its operations the "right thing to do." He said the company must come up with a way to make the service safe before it is allowed to resume operations.
"No one should be running a business that is not safe,'' de Blasio said on July 28. "Unfortunately, this has been proven to be not safe.''
The city is reviewing a plan for Revel's safe return, WCBS-TV reported.
The service first came to Brooklyn in 2018, before expanding to other areas of the city. Many New Yorkers have opted for the scooters over mass transit during the pandemic.
Revel has been criticized for its lax rules, which previously only required users to have a valid driver's license and no training to rent.