The Latest in Smart Mobility: Cangoroo Brings Pogo Sticks to San Francisco

Cangoroo is a company based in Malmo, Sweden, and they’re suggesting using pogo sticks as a means of getting around in a busy city – or at the very least, finding your way to the closest public transport station.

According to the New York Daily News, the plan is to launch the service this summer in Malmo and Stockholm, and then bring it to San Francisco in the U.S. in the fall. If all goes well, future locations will include Paris and London, and other major cities that will request it.

Riders will be able to rent the pogo sticks by using the pogo app to unlock one. Fees for unlocking and renting by the hour will be small, so that the service will offer a fun and fitness-oriented alternative to the current e-scooter services.

“Our belief is that our service can come to play a central role in changing how people look at sustainable cities and staying healthy,” Cangoroo says in a statement to the NY Daily News. “We aim to be a part of changing our communities for the better and prioritize an open and transparent dialogue with all parties involved in expanding to a new location.”

While Cangoroo boasts of offering a cheap, fun, sustainable and healthy alternative to urban mobility, it doesn’t seem like people are sold on the idea of hoping to and fro in a busy city. Renting a pogo stick is such a strange concept for many that Cangoroo's founder Adam Mikkelsen felt the need to set the record straight: this is not a joke. It’s a legitimate business plan and they have faith in it.

“We’ve been following the micro-mobility market and seen the demand,” Mikkelsen said. “However, we also found that existing players are very generic when it comes to brand loyalty and making a statement and contributing to something beyond taking you from point A to B.”

Contacted by the same media outlet, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) says that they’re not aware yet of any plans from Cangoroo to bring rented pogo sticks to the city.