Put another way, scooting is the "skip to the next track" of walking.
FYI, these are illegal to use in Japan without a license. They require the same license that low CC motor bikes/mopeds require in Japan. They also require license plates.
Are you riding a road bike that requires you be hunched over/encourages high speeds or are you riding an upright city bike? Because I mostly ride the latter and I think it’s a lot closer to the experience you describe with scooters.
For example: https://www.huffpost.com/archive/ca/entry/upright-bike-vanco...
> - range-anxiety: what if it runs out of juice? ==> I've ridden a lot and never come close...
Perhaps you have not ridden one very far then. I have encountered both of these problems at once riding across a downtown thinking there will be more live scooters on the other side and ended up with quite a walking journey back, uphill.
"It's too fast to be safe on the sidewalks, but too slow to be used in traffic. So I packed it back in its box and put it in a closet, never to be used again."
upsides versus walking: - 10x further distances - 10 blocks feels like 1, it's simply amazing. You can see parts of the city that are impractically far or bordered by boring/industrial zones.
upsides versus biking: - slow enough to "take in" the sights, where biking definitely feels like you've "lost" something. - more stable / feels safer - much easier to stop & start, and easy to lock up for a few minutes. - about the same speed as manual bikes (in practice) but slower than e-bikes
real downsides: - safety: if there's no bike lanes, then scooters can become hazardous. In particular, because they travel quickly, you can be safe one minute and then quickly have conditions degrade. The risks of medical attention vary by city - developing countries can have limited medical care; US medical care is $$$$. - disallowed & slow zones: it can be *VERY* annoying to have the scooter beeping at you, refuse to go, refuse to lock etc. And the GPS is imperfect, so you can be on the border of a legal zone and have it stop. I've had to walk scooters many times. - cargo: tough to carry significant cargo, e.g. groceries quickly become hazardous.
perceived downsides: - return-anxiety: what if there's no scooters? ==> rarely happens, but if so, then take an uber! - range-anxiety: what if it runs out of juice? ==> I've ridden a lot and never come close... - one scooter available for two people? ==> if you're careful, you can put two people on a scooter, then scoot to the next scooter (apps all have maps of available scooters)