Rental e-scooters are hitting Albuquerque streets
Mark Baker was pleasantly surprised after zipping around Civic Plaza on Friday morning on one of the 250 goldfish-orange electric scooters just deployed for rent around Albuquerque.
Having only ever ridden his kids’ toy scooter, the ride was sturdier and smoother than he expected.
“I think it’s going to be fun and a good way to get around Downtown, making it more pedestrian- and bicycleand alternative transportationfriendly,” the local architect/developer said before scooting away to his nearby cafe, Humble Coffee.
Easing transit is the reason to allow e-scooters in Albuquerque, according to City Councilor Pat Davis, who joined officials from Zagster at Civic Plaza as the Boston-based company launched Albuquerque’s first e-scooter rental service.
“We’ve been talking a long time in Albuquerque about making our city cooler and more accessible, particularly for young people, and how to make transit more accessible — not just for
people who already use it, but to get people out of their cars,” said Davis, adding that e-scooters can help those who live or work off transit routes bridge that “last mile” to bus stops.
Davis introduced legislation last fall permitting e-scooter rentals and directing planning staff to develop associated regulations. The city released those rules and began accepting operator applications in February, though some companies quickly balked, complaining the operating fees were too high and the rules were too onerous.
A Planning Department spokeswoman said at the time that the rules were intended to protect the community. Other cities with e-scooter rentals have raised concerns about safety and about abandoned scooters littering sidewalks and other public areas. Nashville’s mayor recently proposed banning them in that city.
Albuquerque’s planning department and police department will handle e-scooter enforcement, according to Deputy Planning Director Brennon Williams.
Police say e-scooter riders must obey all traffic laws. They should use bike lanes and traverse sidewalks only where bike lanes are not available.
City rules also require e-scooter users to park the vehicles at one of the drop zones, a bicycle rack, a “landscaping/buffer” area or other “permanent fixture” meant for the placement of small vehicles.
Regulations prohibit leaving them anywhere that impedes pedestrian or other traffic, entrances to private properties, driveways and bus stops.
The city can fine Zagster up to $50 per day if it does not remove a disabled or improperly parked scooter within 24 hours of notification.
“However, if the City determines that the … e-scooter is causing a safety hazard or (is) affecting ADA accessibility standards, the scooter will be removed immediately by the City,” Williams said in an email, adding that it would bill Zagster for removal and storage.
Zagster’s permit marks the start of a yearlong pilot to gauge the vehicles’ impact, and Williams said the test phase would determine whether to terminate, expand or modify the program.
Zagster — which is operating its Albuquerque service with Spin-branded scooters and the Spin app — said it was comfortable working with Albuquerque government due to an existing relationship; it has since 2015 run a bike-share service in the city.
“During our discussions (about e-scooters), I think we’ve come up with a policy that’s fair and right for the city and fair and right for Zagster and Spin,” Zagster CEO Dan Grossman said at Friday’s launch.
Zagster rolled out 250 scooters Friday and should have 750 available by July. Grossman said it will hire 35 to 40 people to manage operations, which include placing scooters at designated “drop zones” every morning by 7 a.m. and rounding them all up by 7 p.m. for overnight charging.
They will not be available for rent outside that 12-hour window.
“There’s a lot of wisdom behind that (7 p.m. cutoff): one it’s drinking, two it’s dark and these are sharing the road with cars,” he said.
Initial drop zones include spots near Old Town, Downtown, Nob Hill and the University of New Mexico — though Grossman said use is not presently permitted on the UNM campus. In an attempt to enforce that, riders cannot “end a reservation” while on campus, meaning they would still have to pay by the minute even if they left the scooter outside a building to attend class.
The scooters have a maximum speed of 15 mph and cost $1, plus 15 cents per minute to rent.
Grossman said the company tracks each scooter and can remotely lock them if they go missing, which he said should render theft a futile endeavor.