Dockless Bikeshare and Scootershare Best Management Practices Jim - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Dockless Bikeshare and Scootershare Best Management Practices

Jim Larsen, Bureau Chief, Commuter Services Paul DeMaio, Capital Bikeshare & Shared Mobility Manager, Contractor to Commuter Services

Arlington County, VA Department of Environmental Services November 14, 2018

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What is it?

• Various terms in use: micromobility,

dockless bikeshare, scootershare, etc. We’re using “Shared Mobility Devices” (SMDs).

• Includes pedal bikes, pedal-assist e-

bikes, and stand-up e-scooters.

• Find SMD in an operator’s respective

app, and when finished, park anywhere within reason.

Image credit: The Washington Post Image credit: Greater Greater Washington

Why allow SMDs?

• New transport option
• First/last-mile connection to transit
• Encourage non-SOV trip-making
• Improve air quality
• Decrease congestion
• Another “tool in the TDM toolbox”

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Pedal Bikes in the D.C. Region

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E-bikes in the D.C. Region

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E-scooters in the D.C. Region

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SMD History in the D.C. Region

• September 2017

– Dockless bikeshare launches in D.C. and Montgomery County, MD with five permitted companies.

• March 2018

– Scootershare launches in D.C. with three permitted companies.

• June 2018

– Bird enters Arlington with 500 scooters before permit is created.

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History in Region

• July and August 2018

– Contractions in industry – Transition away from pedal bikes to scooters

• September 2018

– DC renews pilot with lock-to requirement for bikes – Arlington County Board approves pilot SMD program

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History in Region

• October 2018

– Pilot launches in Arlington October 1 – Lime and Bird approved (700 scooters total)

• E-bikes coming soon

– More companies looking to operate

• November 2018

– DC publishes new regulations

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Arlington Pilot Program

• 9-month pilot program:

– 10/1/18 – 6/30/19 – Initial fleet size 350 devices per mode per company – Fleet size growth/contraction with performance metrics

• Add 50 SMDs if >= 3 trips/vehicle/day & compliance
• Subtract 50 SMDs if <= 2 t/v/d

– Top speed: 10mph for e-scooters, 15mph for e-bikes – Correction of mis-parked devices by operators – Data-sharing – $8,000 permit fee to fund staff/consultant time – $5,000 surety bond should operator go bankrupt

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Regional Coordination

• Pilot language drafted

through discussion with regional partners

• Looked at best

practices

• Wanted nearly

identical regulations and data-sharing requirements to limit confusion among the public and increase cooperation among the companies

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Public Outreach

• Presentations to nine public committees and

commissions.

• Web page with information about the pilot

program.

• News release about pilot launch.
• Mobility@arlingtonva.us email address for

input.

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What if we already have a publicly funded bikeshare system?

– Pros of SMDs

• No public funding necessary for capital and
• perating costs
• Complement existing bikeshare network with

vehicles that don’t need stations

• Quick to implement and scale
• Grow constituency for better bike infrastructure
• People will use scootershare who don’t use

bikeshare

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What if we already have a publicly funded bikeshare system?

– Cons

• Potential dip in revenues and riders (Arlington

data):

– 11% drop in revenues FY18 vs. 3% increase FY17 – 10% trip growth FY15-FY17; only 3% FY18 – 21%, 14%, 6% trip growth FY15-FY17, only 1% FY18

• Public vs. private ownership

– Accountability – What if operators leave?

• Public confusion, undocked lost bikes

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Sample Trip Data - Seattle

• Pronto

– 54 stations & 500 bikes – 53,818 trips July- December 2016

• SMDs

– 468,976 trips same period

871% increase

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Sample Trip Data - Baltimore

• Baltimore Bike Share

– 50 stations & 500 bikes – 91,000 trips from October 2016 – July 2018

• SMDs

– 376,754 trips from August – October 2018

400% more rides in 2.5 months vs. 21 months

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Bicycles Stolen/Missing by Year

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2 3 2 9 8 8 17 24 427 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Bicycles Stolen/Missing Year

Capital Bikeshare

Bicycles Stolen/Missing Pre & Post-Dockless

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65 434 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450 500 Pre-Dockless Post-Dockless

9/1/10 – 9/19/17 9/20/17-9/30/18

Biggest Issues

• Top 4 Issues in Arlington:

– Sidewalk riding – Improper parking – Unsafe behavior – Underage riders

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October 2018 Complaint Totals

How to Address Sidewalk Riding?

• Education

– From operator

• Messaging on

SMDs and in app

• Customer

newsletter

– From government

• Messaging from

schools, police, etc.

• Open house events

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How to Address Improper Parking?

• Education

– From operator

• Ad campaigns,
• utreach, etc.
• In-app safety messages
• Safety messages on

SMDs

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Unsafe Behavior & Underage Riding?

• Enforcement

– Police

• Ticket for observed traffic violations
• Educate rider on other issues

– Public

• Report unsafe behavior to Police and operators

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Parking Corrals

• On-street “corrals” to encourage

street riding

• In dense corridors
• Working with operators to

incentivize parking at corrals through geofenced areas in apps

• Inexpensive to create

– Scooter, bike, and parking stencils – Spray paint – Pavement marking tape

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Austin, TX Santa Monica, CA

Possible Locations in Arlington

24 Courthouse Metro Virginia Square Metro

Criteria:

• On-street
• “Nooks and crannies”
• Close to Metro entrance
• Prefer to have adjacent

bicycle facility

How to Attract Operators?

• Invite them
• Show willingness to work with them
• Invest in more bike infrastructure

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Image: @JuddLumberjack on Twitter

How to Pay?

• Permit fee

– Flat fee – Per device fee – Combination of the two

• Estimated costs

– Arlington estimated to generate $40,000 – Cost at least twice to set up and manage – How much to charge?

• Too high fees may scare off operators
• Too low may not recoup costs

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Equity Considerations

– Low-income

• Discounted services
• Text message rental

– Unbanked

• Cash payment option
• Gift cards

– Disabled

• Adaptive vehicles

– Low density or “unprofitable” neighborhoods

• Service area requirement

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Image credit: Lime

Data

• Require operators provide data to

help monitor program and evaluate success

– Trip counts

• Origin and destination data very helpful

– Total and average miles traveled – Customers in jurisdiction – Complaints and corrections – Crashes and injuries

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GBFS vs. MDS

• General Bikeshare Feed Specification
• vs. Mobility Data Specification
• Which to use?

– NASBA approved GBFS v1.0

• Created for ‘docked’ systems

– Arlington using GBFS v1.1

• Modified for ‘dockless’ systems

– LA developed MDS

• Operators pushing for adoption

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How to Evaluate?

• Many factors to consider when evaluating

pilot program’s value to residents, businesses, and visitors, including:

– Impacts to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists – Appropriate fleet sizes per mode – Parking compliance from operators – Sufficient communication with riders – Number of riders and trips – Overall public satisfaction with program

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Questions and Comments

Jim Larsen, Commuter Services Bureau Chief Arlington County, VA jlarsen@arlingtonva.us 703-228-3725 Paul DeMaio, Capital Bikeshare & Shared Mobility Manager Contractor to Arlington County, VA paul@metrobike.net 202-684-8126 MetroBike, LLC

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