DEPARTMENT: Center City Development and Operations
DEPARTMENT HEAD: John Jacks
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: City-wide
SUBJECT:
Briefing on the Dockless Vehicle Pilot Program
SUMMARY:
A briefing on the six month Dockless Vehicle Pilot Program.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
On October 11, 2018, City Council adopted a six month pilot program which created both a permitting structure and operational rules for dockless vehicles. These regulations established rules for how companies are allowed to deploy vehicles in the right-of-way and clarified rules for users related to riding and parking vehicles. The Companies in operation prior to Council adoption were provided with one month to submit complete permit applications. CCDO is monitoring the program and coordinating enforcement during the pilot program period.
Dockless vehicles are a new transportation mode that includes GPS enabled bicycles, electric assisted bicycles, or electric scooters. These vehicles are introduced by private companies who place them in the city's right-of-way so they can be used by customers or subscribers through a phone application. The first company to launch service in San Antonio was Bird which entered the market on June 22, 2018. Lime then launched service on July 25th and Razor launched service in October. These companies have all since obtained permits to operate under the pilot program. In addition, the City has received permit applications from other operators, including Jump which launched service with both scooters and ebicycles on Tuesday, January 15th, and Spin which has obtained a permit to operate 500 scooters, but has not yet established a launch date. A summary of the operators who have been issued permits and the number of vehicles they are allowed to introduce into the market can be found in the table below:
Company
Scooters
e-Bikes
Permit
Application Status
Razor
1,000
Approved
Bird
4,500
Approved
Lime
4,000
Approved
Spin
500
Approved
Jump
2,000
2,0...
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