Amid pandemic, mopeds have a moment in car-loving US

No traffic jams, easy parking and social distancing: more and more New Yorkers are turning to scooters to get around the city. "You avoid people, contact, you don't have to sit in a Uber with somebody," says Alan Taledia, who started riding a scooter during the pandemic. Retailers such as Chris Benson have noticed an uptick in sales. "There was a big boom from the end of April up to now, even on a daily basis," Benson tells AFP. But many inexperienced riders using rental scooters have been involved in accidents, sometimes fatal. This week, the company Revel had to pause its services in New York City following the deaths of two riders.