The arrival in the streets of Buenos Aires of electric skateboard services revived the controversy surrounding the cost of transport in the City of Buenos Aires.The Mexican firm Grin "first" with its platform, which is already available to local users. As advanced iProUP, through an alliance with Rappi, the proposal already operates in the neighborhood of Palermo, where stations were installed in associated stores.Criticism, however, did not wait: with a cost of $ 15 to unlock the unit and $ 8 per minute of use, it is far from a pocket friendly option. From the company, the explanation was clear: it is a service designed for the "last mile"; that is, an additional option to add to the journey between home and work.Also, they consider it a useful option to move within the same area, taking advantage of the agility of the "scooters" in front of the cars that, day by day, agglomerate the Argentine capital.How do they workTo use the service you have to download the app on your cell phone, necessary not only to pay for the service, but also to unlock the electric skateboards.Each unit has a QR code that must be scanned to start circulating on the street; Once the payment is made, your wheels are unlocked.Being equipped with GPS, the platform is able to detect the location of each of its units. And, if they are outside the coverage area (marked with a green circle on the map of the app), a surcharge will be charged to the user.In view of the company, this will allow to maintain a control of electric skateboards, avoid thefts and induce those who use them to leave them in an area of "accessibility" for other people.Regarding the requirements, Grin requires that users are over 18 years old, use a helmet and only drive on roads that are suitable for this type of mobility.Traveling on skateboard vs. other mobility options "4.0"Before starting any kind of comparison, it is worth clarifying: the Ecobicis system promoted by the Government of the City - which is also managed by an app - is out of the comparison for obvious reasons.Today, being a free system, it is the winner in any comparison that is made.In fact, it already registers more than 500,000 trips, 160,000 registered users and an average of 18,000 transfers per day.In total, the system already counts 200 stations, 2,000 bicycles and is available in 22 neighborhoods. The last step was to add 38 positions to expand to Belgrano, Saavedra, Coghlan, Villa Urquiza, Villa Ortuzar, Chas Park, Villa del Parque, Villa General Miter, Flores, Floresta and Villa SoldatiAccording to the Transportation Secretariat of Buenos Aires, during May and June the system will be completed with 400 stations and 4,000 bicycles on the street.The look will be put, then, on the rest of the paid alternatives based on apps, which compete to take the Argentines from point A to point B.The amounts, of course, will vary according to the distance traveled and the schedule, since Uber has a dynamic rate (it rises in times of high demand) and taxis have different prices for day and night. In the comparison, their base prices will be used.As an example, a 3-kilometer route between Av. Del Libertador 4800 and Fitz Roy 1900 - area covered by all the available options in the Federal Capital - yields the following results:-In the case of opting for Grin, at $ 15 of "flag drop", an average of 15 and 20 minutes of use will have to be added, depending on traffic. Thus, the total cost will range between $ 135 and $ 160.-Uber, for its part, offers the same route for $ 89 pesos in Uber X and $ 106 for its Select option, reserved for its best cars. It is worth mentioning that in times of greater demand this price can rise up to 200%.-Cabify, the great rival of the American firm, is managed in values significantly higher for that route: $ 105 for its traditional variant, called "Lite", and $ 126 for those who prefer the "Executive" option.-Finally, BA Taxi, the "official" option promoted by the Government of Rodríguez Larreta establishes a price range for the route that ranges from $ 121 to $ 145.Winner in the 3K category: UberPassing a 2-kilometer route, between Fitz Roy 1900 and Scalabrini Ortiz 1200, prices vary as follows:-When descending to a total trip of 8 minutes, the price of Grin becomes $ 79, including the cost of use of $ 15.-Uber, for the same journey, charges $ 74 for its Uber X service and $ 89 for the Select variant. Uber Pool, the shared option, costs "just" $ 56.-Cabify, on the other hand, has a rate of $ 93 for those who use their Lite option or $ 124 for the Executive option.-Finally, for those who prefer to take a taxi, the BA Taxi app scores an estimated value between $ 99 and 119.Winner in the 2K category: UberFinally, in a route of just one kilometer, between Fitz Roy 1900 and Jorge Luis Borges 1600, this is the comparison between mobility services 4.0:-Grin reduces its usage time to an average of 5 minutes. Thus, its total cost -including the $ 15 fixed- becomes $ 55.-Uber, on the other hand, has a value of $ 62 for its Uber X service and $ 82 for its Select variant. Pool, on the other hand, can be requested for $ 52.-Cabify maintains for this section the same values that it deploys for 2-kilometer trips: $ 93 for its Lite service and $ 124 for Executive.-Finally, the BA Taxi app estimates for this trip a value that ranges between $ 74 pesos and $ 89.Winner in the 1K category: UberA market that will add competitionIn the coming weeks, another player who will join the electric skateboard segment is Maxi Mobility (responsible company of Cabify and Glovo).The company raised 20 million euros for its Latin American expansion in a round led by Madrid insurer Mutua and venture capital Seaya, linked to BBVA.As part of that injection of capital, their skateboards have already left in Santiago de Chile and in June they will run through Montevideo.The next station of the platform will be Argentina. In fact, from the company confirm to iProUP that the service will arrive "in the coming weeks" to the country. And it will start a new form of mobility, ecological and on two wheels.In that sense, Movo, its scooters platform, stepped on the accelerator of its expansion in Argentina, not only because of the competition of Grin, but because of the Buenos Aires government's interest in regulating the use of electric skateboards."We are waiting for a regulation and in full negotiation with the government," says Miguel Abad, Movo's global public affairs officer, in dialogue with iProUP. And he adds: "We are interested in the pilot test as soon as the call to participate becomes public".Beyond the official project, Movo is already forming the responsible team in Argentina with the aim of starting to shoot during the first semester. "It will be in the next few weeks," says Abad.In addition, the firm is taking advantage of the relationship that its "sisters" Glovo and Cabify achieved with the entrepreneurial and mobility ecosystem, which "allowed to open doors" to accelerate local plans.Another of the players in the market is betting on gaining space thanks to its local imprint. In 2015, brothers Sergio and Christian Gudalewicz began to represent several skateboard companies locally, including AirWheels, one of the most important worldwide.With the acquired know-how, they already own their own brand, Voltion, and want to participate in the rental business of these vehicles."We represent several companies of skateboards, two of them offer the rental service, the system and the application, our idea was to go to the rent and, with the Buenos Aires government project, we thought it was a good opportunity to launch it", he assures. Sergio Gudalewicz, CEO of Voltion, to iProUP.The company is already marketing its brand and by the middle of this year they will launch their "own" model, that is, designed internally.Unlike the rest of the global players, Voltion has a strong argument to get its place in the pilot that will launch the City: integration of Argentine work, both at the construction and software level."Our project is to launch a national product, we are working with a company in Bahía Blanca to develop the application, and we will install an assembly plant in the Parque Patricios Technology District," Gudalewicz told iProUP.The company already has experience in rents of these shots: it is already working with Segways (skateboards that have wheels on the sides) and electric skateboards through city tours for foreign tourists in the City of Buenos Aires.This background allowed them to overcome a "curve" that delays several companies in the sector, such as insurance, since there are not many companies that offer specific policies for this type of vehicle. In your case, they work with Swiss Medical Group.