The city of Detroit announced on Wednesday it is allowing scooter sharing companies to increase the number of scooters in the city but also requiring them to deploy in the city's neighborhoods.
- Bird launchesscooter-sharepilot program in downtown Detroit
- Controversysurrounding Bird scooters in Ann Arbor
Currently, Bird and Lime have scooters in downtown Detroit, Midtown and several other areas.
The city announced these changes after observations and analysis from city officials during the first 10 weeks the scooters have been in Detroit.
Now, the guidelines increase the cap of the number of scooters each company can deploy from 300 to 400. It will also require them to deploy 100 scooters in neighborhoods outside of Grand Blvd.
For Bird, they plan to deploy 15 scooters in Districts 1, 2 3, 4, 5 and 6, and 10 scooters in District 7. Lime will deploy 20 scooters in Districts 2, 4, 5 and 7.
“Anytime we can bring the downtown experience into Detroit neighborhoods, I think it is a sign of overall growth for Detroit,” Councilman Scott Benson said in a release. “This initiative is particularly important in a city where 33 percent of residents are without reliable transportation; this mobility option helps people get around neighborhoods with fun and ease.”
On top of that, the city will establish a community advisory board where residents can provide guidance on the goals and outcomes for the electric scooters in Detroit.
“Scooters have proven to be a popular mobility option across the City,” Mayor Mike Duggan said. “The proposed changes will make scooters available to more Detroiters and play a role in our larger strategy to make it easier, safer, and more affordable to get around the city.”
