Micromobility

A report finds that micromobility grew quickly from 2018 to 2019, though it remains concentrated in relatively few cities. Local governments have also found ways to curb problems such as improper parking and inequity.

Planners with Yellowstone County and the city of Billings commissioned a feasibility study earlier this year to investigate whether a scooter-share or bike-share program would work here.

The city said public safety complaints from residents are behind the decision to halt on-demand rentals. City officials will meet with Dallas residents, businesses and vendors to discuss potential changes.

Electric scooters could finally hit Seattle streets, more than a year after Mayor Jenny Durkan said she was open to allowing the devices that became commonplace in cities like Portland and Austin.

Electric scooter businesses in Vancouver, Wash., are seeing a rise in demand amid the pandemic. Zoot Scoot and Rev Rides are two local businesses giving customers the option to take to the streets on scooters.

Boulder is trying to attract a dockless bicycle-share provider, one including some electric-assist-style vehicles in its fleet that might be able to partner with a current nonprofit operator in the city.

Minneapolis is expected to vote on a proposal that would allow two vendors to deploy scooters as soon as July 1, even as the issue over whether they will be required to have locking devices remains unsettled.

The Los Angeles Department of Transportation's collection of trip data for shared e-scooters and similar on-demand devices is being challenged as a government overreach in federal district court.

The city of Ann Arbor has renewed its agreement with Spin Inc. to bring its electric scooters back to the streets. The company has created a sanitation plan to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.

Using a collaborative, fast-paced development process, the city’s public works created a way for residents to open up neighborhood streets for safe and healthy exercising while maintaining social distancing.

A fleet of remote-operated scooters is being deployed and tested in Peachtree Corners, Ga. The pilot program was set to launch earlier this year, but the novel coronavirus delayed those plans.

Planned to start in August or September, the pilot will start with about 400 to 500 stand-on scooters, 200 bicycles and 100 sit-down scooters. The pilot will take place in the downtown area and surrounding neighborhoods.

Since the coronavirus pandemic has forced residents to stay inside of their homes, scooters have been left on the empty streets of San Antonio. The virus has been a monumental roadblock for on-demand transit companies.

All four scooter companies licensed to operate in the city of Atlanta have been pulled of off the streets due to the virus pandemic. The micro-mobility businesses have seen a sharp decline in business and are a non-essential service.

The global outbreak of the novel coronavirus has disrupted many aspects of daily life. In the transportation sector, on-demand options are being shuffled to meet travel needs at a time when other services are scaling back.

Less than a year after its last cash infusion from investors, Ride Report is once again pulling in money. And in the intervening months, the company's customer count appears to have grown quickly.

Operators of scooters and other rent-to-ride mobility devices are likely to have more substantive conversations with cities around issues like infrastructure, data analysis, sustainability and safety.

The Portland, Ore.-based company has announced new funding to market and expand its SaaS that gives cities in-depth data on micromobility operators on their streets via partnerships with many startups.