Usain Bolt, the retired sprinter who is the greatest of all time, sped like a cheetah on the track. He made his name synonymous with lightning speed. Post-retirement, he co-founded an electric scooter company called Bolt Mobility. Its mission was to “revolutionize transportation through safe, smart and sustainable transit solutions.” Unfortunately, Bolt couldn’t replicate his winning streak in his business venture.  

The e-scooter start-up was founded in 2018. Despite being a co-founder, close sources suggest that the renowned sprinter served merely as a spokesperson. He rarely took part in decision-making. Sadly, two months ago, the company ceased operations. Besides the vehicles on the streets, the staff was also left abandoned.    

Usain Bolt leaves the staff raged and disappointed

Bolt Mobility is the eight-time Olympic gold medalist’s first entrepreneurial venture. Regrettably, it stopped operations four years after its inception in July. As a result, the company dumped the vehicles on the streets of towns like Burlington, Vermont, and Portland, Oregon. One could only open them through its app. 

The company’s sudden decision caused chaos for all its stakeholders, mainly its employees. The ex-staff expressed their disillusionment with learning the truth. They said that the company assured to make payments shortly after funding from an Indian investor and that it was only a temporary disruption.  

“Not paying us for the last month of work we did — I consider that to be defrauding the employees,” an employee burst at the company. “I’ve been lied to and manipulated.” 

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“We couldn’t believe that they would just stiff us,” another ex-employee said. “I feel violated.” 

Also, when asked about the rising concern, a company spokesperson said: “Arrangements are already being made to compensate the employees in the next few days.” Notably, after they brought this story to the media, a few days later, the paychecks were settled. 

 Bolt Mobility turned immobile

With a noble motive of revolutionizing scooter transportation, the Jamaican Hurricane co-founded the start-up, Bolt Mobility. He made voice recordings of instructions that would play through the speakers of scooters. Also, the Lightning Bolt produced a commercial to promote his business. Despite a lot of effort, Bolt Mobility was not chosen to participate in New York City’s shared electric scooter pilot in 2021.

He ended up shifting its efforts to smaller markets and chose cities like Portland, Burlington, and St. Augustine, Florida, to deploy scooters.

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However, the dream was short-lived. Reportedly, the company faced funding issues, hence it shut down its operations. That said, there are many unanswered concerns regarding this fall. However, fans sincerely hope that it didn’t result in a disaster.