DENVER — We are halfway through Denver's one-year pilot program that has allowed electric scooter companies to legally operate on Denver's city sidewalks since August.
On Wednesday, Denver Public Works released a report on how the program has worked so far. The city also announced they would be adjusting the number of scooters each company is allowed to have based on their usage and performance.
The report says that more than 800,000 electric scooter rides have been logged, totaling nearly 1 million miles traveled. The average length of a scooter ride is just under a mile.
People who responded to a survey about the program said they used the scooters instead of walking, sometimes instead of driving, and along with other public transportation.
According to the report, 19 percent of people who have used electric scooters since the program began ride them once a week.
Electric bikes, which are also part of the pilot program, are not being used as heavily, according to the data. It shows there have been about 58,000 rides over the last 6 months.
Survey respondents also indicated they would be more likely to use electric scooters and bikes if they were more available, according to the report.
Denver Public Works announced Wednesday that for the remainder of the pilot program companies allowed fleet size would be dynamic, dependent on how much the scooters or bikes were being used and those vehicles' performance.
Based on that criteria Lime, Lyft and Bird are all eligible to go from 350 scooters to 438 scooters, an increase of 25 percent.
Under the initial guidelines, companies were allowed up to 250 dockless scooters per operator –with the option for 100 more if the fleet agrees to stay in designated “opportunity areas.”
You can read the full report here: https://on9news.tv/2Swy8Ys.
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