CHICAGO – The Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) and the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) right this moment launched the appliance course of for a shared electrical scooter license that can allow up to three corporations to function in Chicago. The license that was licensed by the City Council following two, four-month-long shared scooter pilots, is anticipated to launch in the spring with up to 3,000 gadgets initially. Operating corporations might be required to make use of expertise that may detect and scale back individuals using e-scooters on sidewalks. The gadgets might be allowed on streets citywide, however not on the Lake Front Trail, 606/Bloomingdale Trail, Chicago Riverwalk or the O’Hare Airport space.
“CDOT and our partners at BACP have conducted two pilot projects that tested whether shared electric scooters are a viable addition to the mobility landscape in Chicago. We’ve learned that an effectively managed e-scooter program can provide an affordable, convenient and environmentally friendly way for Chicagoans to get around,” mentioned CDOT Commissioner Gia Biagi. “Working with the City Council, we passed an ordinance to stand up a two-year permit program last year. Shared e-scooters will provide mobility benefits throughout Chicago — with an emphasis on serving areas that will benefit from new transportation options.”
“The new scooter sharing license will enable companies to operate scooter fleets in Chicago, according to license terms,” mentioned BACP Commissioner Ken Meyer. “The two scooter pilot programs allowed us to thoughtfully evaluate scooters in Chicago to come up with a permanent structure for this new license. Through collaboration, and City Council approval, the license will ensure licensees put safety and equitable scooter distribution at the forefront of their business models.”
Applications from potential working corporations are due in February. City officers will choose up to three corporations to provide shared scooters this spring.
Potential working corporations might be ranked based mostly on a variety of standards, together with previous efficiency, operational capacities, expertise and functionality to meet the City’s fairness, environmental and security requirements.
The working corporations might be every licensed to provide up to 1,000 gadgets initially, and corporations might be allowed to deploy further gadgets in the event that they meet particular ridership, security, compliance and training necessities. The scooter sharing ordinance permits up to 12,500 whole gadgets throughout all corporations.
Among the important thing necessities of this system are the next:
- Companies should deploy scooters with cable-locking (“lock-to”) expertise, requiring them to be locked to mounted objects equivalent to bike racks, road indicators or mild poles on the finish of a visit.
- Companies might be required to deploy expertise that detects and reduces sidewalk using.
- Companies might be required to deploy 50% of scooters to Equity Priority Areas protecting many south and west facet neighborhoods and totaling roughly 50% of your entire service space.
- Companies might be required to present inexpensive entry to shared scooters for low-income residents in addition to non-credit-card-based entry and non-smartphone-based entry.
- Scooters might be allowed to function between 5 a.m. and midnight and in bike lanes, paths or streets.
- Scooters might be allowed downtown in restricted numbers in an effort to stability mobility advantages with parking house constraints.
- Companies might be required to educate scooter customers on correct and secure use of the gadgets and to implement insurance policies that encourage compliance with security guidelines, together with learn-to-ride lessons and in-app training.
- Companies will face fines in the event that they fail to take away improperly parked scooters inside two hours of a grievance.
- At least 5% of every firm’s gadgets have to be accessible for riders with mobility limitations and should characteristic a seat at minimal.
- Companies should present free or discounted helmets.
- The ordinance consists of new shopper safety insurance policies, together with information privateness guidelines, prohibiting corporations from charging charges whereas riders are finishing training and prohibiting corporations from requiring riders to pay in advance for a couple of trip.
CDOT and BACP carried out two e-scooter pilots in 2019 and 2020 to check the viability of the service, to check expertise and security rules and to develop an understanding of whether or not scooters present a significant transportation choice for Chicagoans. In October 2021, the Chicago City Council handed an ordinance that created a brand new enterprise license class for scooter sharing corporations. In addition to three scooter share distributors, the ordinance additionally permits CDOT to incorporate electrical scooters the City’s Divvy bikeshare system.
For extra details about this system, go to: www.chicago.gov/scooters