Photo courtesy of Lime. What’s it really like to be a ‘juicer’?
Ever considered getting cash out of charging e-scooters? Uli (38) tells us about his 19 days’ experience.
“I liked the idea of e-scooters from the beginning – I am usually around Mitte and they’re a great way to get around fast. When I saw that Lime was offering people to become chargers, or ‘juicers’ as they call it, I was curious. I wanted to be part of the e-mobility revolution! And it’s all pretty easy: after you’ve registered online they invite you to a training workshop for a 30-minute Power Point presentation about the Dos and Dont’s of the job – for example you cannot drop the scooters anywhere, there are assigned points. That’s when you get the chargers, too. Then you sign a very lengthy contract, with more things you’re not supposed to do – like taking scooters apart or leaking information to the competition. It’s all ultra top secret! And there are serious penalties – €5000 for this, €1000 for that, and if a scooter gets lost while in your hands you have to pay for it. It’s all done on contractual gig basis, so you have to register yourself as a business to do the job, or at least as a freelancer. I already have a property business, so that was easy. At the end, they send you receipts and you have to claim this as an income. With €4 to €4.60 per charge, if you want to make a living, you’ll have to charge 25 pieces per night! With my full-time job, I’m not so fussed about the cash. When I’m on my way home from the U-Bahn I just check if there are any scooters around; you’re allowed to take them from 9pm onwards, or at any time if the batteries are dead. I’ve found a way to stack two on top of the one I’m riding, as the Limes have a very broad board. You’re not supposed to do that of course… But this way I can ride with three at a time without having to use a car! That earns me about €15 per day – if I make it on time. If you don’t manage to deliver them back by the drop-off time in the morning, they cut the fee in half. And they recently moved the deadline to 7am! That definitely makes me reconsider.”