Congressman urges state to pull Revel off NY streets after scooter crashes
A Manhattan congressman is urging the state to pull Revel scooters off the streets — after reading The Post’s coverage of a near-fatal collision involving one of the rental mopeds in his district over the weekend.
“A situation like this could have easily turned fatal,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat said in a letter Monday to state DMV chief Mark Schroeder, in reference to the collision that left a 30-year-old rider with head trauma in Inwood on Saturday.
“Following a series of reports over the past few days, it has become clear that there are serious safety implications for Revel users, other vehicles on the road and bystanders.”
State officials should halt Revel’s operations until the company has “adequate and updated regulations and training and safety measures,” the congressman said, specifically citing driver education and a more stringent helmet mandate.
Revel’s official rules require users have a regular driver’s license and wear a helmet for its users — but they don’t need a special motorcycle license.
The rules are also frequently violated: On July 16, the company emailed users to warn them to obey traffic laws, and said it had suspended over 1,000 users in a single month.
Two days later, CBS New York reporter Nina Kapur became the first Revel rider killed on city streets. Kapur was reportedly not wearing a helmet.
A rep for Espaillat said the congressman’s letter was inspired by The Post’s coverage.
“The boss saw the story of the constituent in Inwood. That’s when he called for the vehicles to be removed,” said spokeswoman Candace Person.
A Revel spokesperson said the company has suspended another 1,000 users in the last two weeks, and promised an in-app safety test in the next few weeks — as well as a new feature that requires users to confirm they are wearing a helmet before each ride.
“When we launched Revel, we knew that expanding access to mobility would mean taking on the risks of the road. We’ve been working since day one to combat these risks, and are constantly working to do more to make our streets safe,” the company said in a statement.