Networked usage tracking for dockless personal transport vehicles

A method for usage tracking for shared dockless personal transport vehicles (PTVs), the method comprising:

• obtaining location data from at least one sensor indicating a parked location of a PTV of a fleet of shared PTVs and comprising at least one image of the PTV in the parked location, the PTV being checked out to a consumer at the time of obtaining the location data, the parked location not previously associated with an approved parking location;
• computing a set of parked location attributes in accordance with the parked location and with image processing the at least one image to obtain information characterizing an environment surrounding the PTV in the parked location and further to obtain information characterizing a state of the PTV in the parked location;
• computing an arbitration determination indicating whether the set of parked location attributes meets a stored set of acceptance criteria;
• and
• checking in the PTV on behalf of the consumer and updating account information of the consumer in response to the arbitration determination indicating that the set of parked location attributes meets the set of acceptance criteria, such that checking in the PTV causes the PTV to be available for subsequent check-out as part of the fleet of shared PTVs.

A usage tracking system for shared dockless personal transport vehicles (PTVs), the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• a memory communicatively coupled with, and readable by, the one or more processors and having stored therein processor-readable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• obtain location data from at least one sensor indicating a parked location of a PTV of a fleet of shared PTVs and comprising at least one image of the PTV in the parked location, the PTV being checked out to a consumer at the time of obtaining the location data, the parked location not previously associated with an approved parking location;
• compute a set of parked location attributes in accordance with the parked location and with image processing the at least one image to obtain information characterizing an environment surrounding the PTV in the parked location and further to obtain information characterizing a state of the PTV in the parked location;
• compute an arbitration determination indicating whether the set of parked location attributes meets a stored set of acceptance criteria;
• and
• check in the PTV on behalf of the consumer and update account information of the consumer in response to the arbitration determination indicating that the set of parked location attributes meets the set of acceptance criteria, such that checking in the PTV causes the PTV to be available for subsequent check-out as part of the fleet of shared PTV.