Skip to content
‹ Back to IndustriesTransportation

The Last Mile: Collaborating to Keep Micromobility Rolling in 2021

Like most markets, the first half of 2020 proved a bumpy ride for the micromobility sector. But through resiliency and collaboration, many industry players closed out the year fielding more demand than ever for sustainable and sharable vehicle systems. Across hardware and software, working together will pave the road for a successful 2021. In this podcast,…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Transportation teams put it to work with Partner & Channel Enablement.

·
Share
The Last Mile: Collaborating to Keep Micromobility Rolling in 2021

Free workspace

Turn your Transportation expertise into content.

Record interviews, organize footage, and write with AI on a free trial of the MarketScale platform for qualifying companies. No demo required, no credit card.

Try it Free

Like most markets, the first half of 2020 proved a bumpy ride for the micromobility sector. But through resiliency and collaboration, many industry players closed out the year fielding more demand than ever for sustainable and sharable vehicle systems. Across hardware and software, working together will pave the road for a successful 2021. In this podcast, Tony Ho, VP of Global Business Development for Segway, and Vince Cifani, CEO and Founder of micromobility SaaS platform Joyride, speak about the impact COVID-19 had on the industry, and how their companies’ collaborative efforts will ultimately improve micromoiblity for end-users.

In the US, the pandemic found its roots in March of 2020, but Ho says Segway felt the concerns right from the start of the year due to China’s supply chain relationships. “We were very worried about a supply shock,” Ho says. “That turned into a demand shock instead.” The supply chain eventually returned to normal levels, but Ho notes that lockdowns in various areas affected people’s ability to go places, making micromobility transportation options attractive alternatives to public transit. “On the second half of 2020, we saw a lot of crazy demand for our scooters and other form factors as well.”

Cifani recognizes the challenges brought on by the pandemic but says the most significant industry obstacles for scooter-sharing operators actually existed pre-pandemic: Affordable insurance for fleets, vehicle selection and fulfillment, and how to maintain and operate their fleets properly. “Through collaboration with industry leaders like Segway, we’re resolving these challenges for businesses that operate on our software platform,” Cifani says.

Ho and Cifani believe 2021 will be an important year for collaboration in the micromobility industry, both from a technology level and an intercompany. Ho says companies within the industry are more specialized now and that requires collaboration between other specialized companies. “People see the need to focus, but at the same time, they see the need to efficiently work together,” Ho says.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @MarketScale

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Transportation starts with a company putting its fleet managers, logistics engineers, and safety leads on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Fleet and logistics buyers compare quietly, and your operators become the evidence that settles it.

Book DemoSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.
B2B Weekly

The week in Transportation, and sixteen other industries, every Monday.

Ten stories, one-line takes, five minutes. Free.

Transportation: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Transportation buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. Explore how your experts, customers, and partners can become useful content for buyers and AI search.

Free Trial

You just read one Transportation expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your fleet managers, logistics engineers, and safety leads into the articles, video, and social content Transportation buyers are searching for. Start a free trial and see it with your own people. For qualifying companies, no credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What your free trial includes

Hands-on access to the MarketScale platform
Media requests to your crowd, remote recording, AI writing tools
No demo required. No credit card.
For qualifying companies. Company confirmation required.

More Transportation Insights

Rail Traffic Is Up and Railcar Orders Have Flipped: The Equipment Cycle Is Turning

Rail Traffic Is Up and Railcar Orders Have Flipped: The Equipment Cycle Is Turning

Rail traffic has increased 8.5% with railcar orders now exceeding deliveries for two consecutive quarters, suggesting the equipment cycle is shifting toward tighter market conditions in 2026.

  • 01Rail traffic is up 8.5%
  • 02Railcar orders have outpaced deliveries for two quarters
  • 032026 is projected as the equipment cycle's low point

Nov 2, 2026

BlackHawk Industrial folds four Tulsa-area sites into one 72,000-square-foot hub

BlackHawk Industrial folds four Tulsa-area sites into one 72,000-square-foot hub

BlackHawk Industrial consolidated four Tulsa and Broken Arrow sites into one 72,000-square-foot distribution hub in Tulsa to reduce transfers between buildings. The hub is stocked for MRO items like cutting tools, coolants and specialty fasteners, and BlackHawk says it will support manufacturers across a multi-state region.

  • 01Four warehouses in one metro meant parts sometimes crossed town before shipping. BlackHawk's single 72,000-square-foot Tulsa hub is built to remove that step.
  • 02The clearest test of the consolidation is whether a mixed order of cutting tools, coolant and specialty fasteners arrives sooner or in fewer packages.
  • 03The service map isn't settled. Plants in Missouri, or in Texas outside the north, appear in some descriptions of the hub's reach but not in others.

Nov 2, 2026

Cold chain AI earns its keep when QA managers never log in

Cold chain AI earns its keep when QA managers never log in

PAXAFE lays out a four-stage maturity model for AI cold chain platforms, watch, answer, suggest and act, and says most products stop at a chat layer that answers questions. project44 and FourKites market agents that already act, FourKites claiming 75% of exceptions resolved autonomously, while Gartner estimated in June 2025 that only about 130 of thousands of agentic AI vendors are real.

  • 01PAXAFE sorts cold chain AI into four stages, watch, answer, suggest and act, and says most platforms today stop at a chat layer that answers questions.
  • 02Gartner estimated in June 2025 that only about 130 of the thousands of vendors selling agentic AI have real agentic capability, and predicted over 40% of agentic AI projects will be canceled by the end of 2027.
  • 03project44 and FourKites already market agents that rebook freight, call carriers and close exceptions, so the sharper buyer question is which actions an agent may take without sign-off and who answers when it is wrong.

Oct 30, 2026

Explore More Transportation Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Transportation.

Browse Transportation Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Transportation and beyond.

Book a Demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512