One factor there is that you can choose between having a limited set of gear that you own vs a pretty much unlimited set of gear that you can rent from which is guaranteed to work when you need it.
So the comparison between something you'd need day-to-day and one where you would need to use something only incidentally is where it breaks down and I think that is exactly how it works for those scooters: people that need them every day for the same kind of trip will buy one and the incidental users will rent. But for the economies to make good sense those companies would need a substantial base of regular users.
So the comparison between something you'd need day-to-day and one where you would need to use something only incidentally is where it breaks down and I think that is exactly how it works for those scooters: people that need them every day for the same kind of trip will buy one and the incidental users will rent. But for the economies to make good sense those companies would need a substantial base of regular users.