CLEVELAND — As Cleveland prepares to implement its new program for dockless scooters and bike shares, four venders have been selected for consideration in the city's permitting process.
The four companies that were chosen out of the seven who applied to the city for consideration are:
- Bird (e-bicycles and e-scooters)
- Lime (e-scooters)
- Spin (e-scooters)
- VeoRide (e-scooters)
The city's dockless scooter and bike program will begin with a six-month demonstration period extending through February 2020 as officials will look to ensure safety and evaluate the impacts of shared mobility use.
After that point, the city says it will have the opportunity to extend permits for another six months to vendors who can demonstrate their commitment to the goals of the city of Cleveland.
“The vendors selected demonstrated their ability to offer Cleveland the best in the industry in terms of multimodal access, customer service, and adherence to local regulations,” said Chief of Operations Darnell Brown in a statement. “We look forward to working with them during the six-month demonstration period.”
Bird scooters were the talk of the town when they flew onto the scene in August of 2018. However, the city of Cleveland quickly vetoed the operation with a letter to the company requiring them to remove them from city sidewalks citing safety, amongst other things.
In June, Cleveland City Council approved legislation to regulate the usage of e-scooters and ensure the safety of riders and pedestrians.
In preparation for the introduction of dockless scooter and bike share on Cleveland streets, the city says it will mark parking locations for dockless devices on sidewalks in the coming weeks. It will also hold public educational events featuring the four selected vendors in the near future.