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
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- Image credit: Greater Greater Washington 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 2
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” 3
Pedal Bikes in the D.C. Region 4
E-bikes in the D.C. Region 5
E-scooters in the D.C. Region 6
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. 7
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 8
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 9
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 10
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 11
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. 12
What if we already have a publicly funded bikeshare system? – Pros of SMDs • No public funding necessary for capital and operating 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 13
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 14
Sample Trip Data - Seattle • Pronto – 54 stations & 500 bikes – 53,818 trips July- December 2016 • SMDs – 468,976 trips same period 871% increase 15
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 16
Bicycles Stolen/Missing by Year 450 427 400 350 300 Bicycles Stolen/Missing 250 200 150 100 50 24 17 9 8 8 3 2 2 0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Year Capital Bikeshare 17
Bicycles Stolen/Missing Pre & Post-Dockless 500 450 434 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 65 50 0 Pre-Dockless Post-Dockless 9/1/10 – 9/19/17 9/20/17-9/30/18 18
Biggest Issues • Top 4 Issues in Arlington: – Sidewalk riding – Improper parking – Unsafe behavior – Underage riders October 2018 Complaint Totals 19
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 20
How to Address Improper Parking? • Education – From operator • Ad campaigns, outreach, etc. • In-app safety messages • Safety messages on SMDs 21
Unsafe Behavior & Underage Riding? • Enforcement – Police • Ticket for observed traffic violations • Educate rider on other issues – Public • Report unsafe behavior to Police and operators 22
Parking Corrals • On- street “corrals” to encourage street riding • In dense corridors Austin, TX • 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 Santa Monica, CA 23
Possible Locations in Arlington Criteria: - On-street - “Nooks and crannies” - Close to Metro entrance - Prefer to have adjacent bicycle facility Courthouse Metro Virginia Square Metro 24
How to Attract Operators? • Invite them • Show willingness to work with them • Invest in more bike infrastructure 25 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 26
Equity Considerations – Low-income • Discounted services • Text message rental – Unbanked Image credit: Lime • Cash payment option • Gift cards – Disabled • Adaptive vehicles – Low density or “unprofitable” neighborhoods • Service area requirement 27
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 28
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 29
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 30
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 31
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