Purpose

Scooter and bike share (also called shared micromobility) services provide solo, low-cost transportation options on-demand. They are intended to connect with other transportation services like transit, parking, park-and-ride, and ride sharing. These services are especially important as we seek ways to support residents through the pandemic recovery. 

Shared micromobility services fill gaps in transportation options due to transit service changes, increased risks of carpooling and ride sharing, or the cost of personal automobile use. Service is available before and after current transit service hours to support trips to and from transit stops.

The pilot allows us to evaluate:

1. How the availability of shared bicycles, e-scooters and other small vehicles impact travel across a range of demographic groups and geographic areas
2. How these vehicles and services can improve overall mobility, support “park once” strategies and complement transit service (The Rapid, DASH) and other travel modes
3. What types of bicycles, e-scooters and other shared micromobility vehicles increase non-automobile mobility
4. Approaches to managing scooter and bike parking between trips that provide convenience without impeding accessible pedestrian travel or diminishing the positive uses sidewalks and curbside zones
5. A “safe space” for testing and innovation around shared non-motorized and electric-assist micromobility options, such as bicycles (human-powered and electric-assist), e-scooters and other micromobility vehicles

Pilot Service Area

Mobile GR established a pilot service area that’s approximately 12 square miles. This equals about 27% of the city’s land area and 74% of the Neighborhoods of Focus. Roughly 95,000 people live in the service area and it includes portions of all Corridor Improvements Authorities and the Downtown Development Authority boundaries.

The pilot service area was based on the service area analysis completed as part of the Bike Share Feasibility Study. People can ride outside of the pilot service area, but there aren’t virtual parking stations provided outside the service area.

Scooter and Bike Share Pilot Map(JPG, 331KB)

How To Ride

• Download either the Spin or GOTCHA app onto a smartphone with Android or iOS
• Using the vendors apps, follow the screen prompts to setup your session
• Pay for your session on the Spin or GOTCHA app with a debit or credit card (see the Equity/Affordability Questions tab below for more options and possible discounts)
• Ride!
• After you ride, park the vehicle in a designated parking zone to avoid further charges

Please look at the Safety Guidelines tab below for information on riding safely.

Who Can Ride

• Consistent with industry standards, 18 years old is the minimum age

What Can You Ride

Two vendors are participating in the pilot and are listed below.

Spin

• Standing e-Scooters    

Gotcha

• Coming soon! Standing and seated e-Scooters and e-Bikes

When Can You Ride

Year round service will be provided. 

Scooter and bike share vendors' COVID-19 responses:

Gotcha

Gotcha's statement on safety precautions during the pandemic:

• Enhanced and more frequent cleaning of bikes and scooters using disinfecting products approved by the CDC to kill coronavirus germs.
• Repeated disinfection throughout the day while rebalancing and charging bikes and scooters.
• Fleet techs will mist at-risk contact areas such as hand grips, brake levers, bells, and any other points of contact for bikes and scooters going into and staying in the field.
• Briefed all employees and in-market staff on proper personal hygiene practices as recommended by the CDC.
• Employees will wash hands with disinfectant soap for 20+ seconds before shift and at the end of shift and whenever possible in between. In addition, employees will be provided with hand wipes and/or hand sanitizer to clean their hands in the field use.
• Gotcha recommends all riders use hand sanitizer before and after riding, wear protective face masks, and adhere to social distancing guidelines.
• Gotcha is committed to the safety of its riders and will continue to monitor the situation as it evolves. The company will comply with any federal, state, or local policies that may require changes to our services.

Spin

Spin's statement on safety precautions during the pandemic:

• Increased frequency of disinfecting scooters.
• Developed a thorough disinfection regimen in accordance with CDC guidelines and best practices.
• Each scooter that enters the warehouse is cleaned with disinfectant wipes or disinfectant spray and a clean towel at all major points of contact - handlebars and mast - before it can be repaired or charged.

• Rigorous precautions with our scooter delivery vehicles.
• Van cab surfaces must be fully disinfected after each shift. The steering wheel, shifter, upper door panel, blinker switch, center console radio and air conditioner knobs should be cleaned between shifts or whenever a driver is changed. All towels used for disinfecting must either be thrown away or washed thoroughly in approved disinfectant solution.

How does this reach residents in Neighborhoods of Focus?

The Neighborhoods of Focus(PDF, 2MB) consist of 17 Census Tracts with higher poverty, higher unemployment and lower rates of educational attainment than elsewhere in the City. They were originally determined in 2016 by research funded by the Kellogg Foundation. 

The pilot service area covers 74% of the Neighborhoods of Focus. For those residents living in Neighborhoods of Focus and throughout the city meeting certain income requirements, user fees are 50% of the standard fees.

To be eligible for discounted rates, provide proof of enrollment in city, state, or federally funded programs such as SNAP EBT, TANF, WIC, and HUD Housing Choice Section 8 Vouchers. 

User Fees

• Both companies will offer the stand-on e-scooters and e-assist bicycles at the same price ($1 to unlock plus 15 cents per minute).
• Gotcha offers monthly access options which are still being negotiated. An annual rental option may become available.
• The City of Grand Rapids is working with the pilot vendors to provide low-cost or free options for those who need them. Provided below are some reduced fare options.
  • Both companies offer qualified persons, who participate in the below programs, access to 50% off the unlock and per minute use fees: SNAP, TANF, WIC, HUD and similar programs.
    • For Spin please visit: spin.app/spin-access to apply

Access for Unbanked People

Both companies assist people without bank accounts in obtaining reloadable debit/credit cards. Funds can then be added to the cards to rent scooters and bikes.

Access to Persons with Disabilities 

Vehicles appropriate for persons with various disabilities are not readily available with most shared scooter and bike services. Other systems have accommodated persons with disabilities by partnering with adaptive bicycling organizations. Some of the newer micromobility vehicles, like the seated scooter and e-assist trikes may allow more people to use a system, but they’re not specifically adaptive vehicles.

Language Options

English and Spanish language options are available on both Spin and Gotcha platforms.

 Per the Michigan Secretary of State:

• Always ride WITH other traffic
• Obey the rules of the road as any other vehicle operator, including all traffic signs, lane markings and signals, and use hand signals to indicate turns, slowing or stopping
• Wear bicycle helmets and reflective clothing
• Stay as far to the right as practical when riding in traffic lanes
• Do not ride more than two abreast in a single lane, and only do so if it does not interfere with the normal flow of vehicular traffic
• Avoid entering the roadway without first stopping to look for vehicles
• Ride predictably and defensively, and do not ride while drunk or distracted
• Always yield to pedestrians
• Have a white front headlight and a red rear reflector if riding after dark or in low light conditions

Please visit spin.app/safety-page for more information on scooter safety tips

You may also contact Spin directly for discounts on helmets at: support@spin.pm