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How Knoxville's first weekend with e-scooters went

Each deployed 50 scooters all over Downtown Knoxville last week, just look for VeoRide's black and teal rides or Spin's orange and white ones.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knoxville's first weekend with e-scooters is in the books. 

So far, we don't think anyone was injured... at least seriously.

Visit Knoxville said it won't have comprehensive numbers until the end of this week but said both companies testing the scooters, VeoRide and Spin, reported substantial use.

Each deployed 50 scooters all over Downtown Knoxville last week, just look for VeoRide's black and teal rides or Spin's orange and white ones.

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Veoride said Monday it plans to add more scooters each week.

"The community has embraced us from the start, and we look forward to increasing our fleet here," Veoride spokesperson Linda Jackson said.

The company will add 50 scooters each week until reaching the 250 scooters permitted by the city. 

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Since launching Wednesday, Veoride said more than 2,700 people have hit the streets with the new scooters.

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Visit Knoxville said Spin would also deploy 50 more scooters this week bringing the total of scooters on Knoxville streets to 200. 

Some scooter companies offer opportunities for people to charge the scooters overnight and make a little bit of money in return. 

Veoride said it does that -- to an extent.

"Our e-scooters use field-swappable batteries that can be replaced on the spot, so we don't have to take our scooters from the street to recharge them like other companies do," Jackson said. "Our model is not to hire gig chargers, but to employ fleet technicians who are trained with the proper skills for the job."

Fleet technicians make about $12 per hour at the start. 

"We do this to have greater control over operations and eliminate the risk that the 'crowd charger' model poses," Jackson said.

The 'crowd charger' model is essential allowing people to take scooters back to their apartments or homes to recharge them -- something Jackson said carries a fire risk.

Jackson said there are openings if you'd like to apply.

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