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Google is offering electric scooters to ease US employees’ return to the office

As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to settle down in some parts of the globe, Google is returning its employees to in-person offices. Now, Google is offering up access to electric scooters for its employees to assist in daily commutes.

Google employees based in the United States will, according to The Verge, be able to participate in a program called “Ride Scoot.” The program allows Google employees to be reimbursed for the cost of a subscription that gives the employee an electric scooter. The scooters Google is offering access to, specifically, is the Unagi Model One, a $990 dual-motor scooter which can go around 15 miles with a top speed of 20mph. Electrek called the Model One the “best bet” for a premium electric scooter.

The program is aimed to either help the employee get to work or to a bus stop, such as Google’s shuttle service. But the real goal, it seems, is to ease the effort required to go back to the office. Unagi CEO David Hyman said:

They know there’s apprehension amongst employees. People got really accustomed to working from home. And they’re just trying to do everything they can to improve the experience of coming back.

Unagi offers this same subscription to anyone who lives select cities. The service launched last year for $40/month and acts as an alternative to buying the scooter outright.

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