The e-scooter rental craze has officially kicked off in Jacksonville.
The battery powered 2-wheelers have been catching on in cities across the country. Thursday marks Jacksonville’s turn with the official launch of a one-year pilot program for e-scooters, e-bicycles and dockless bicycles.
Four vendors have been approved for the program:
The pilot is starting with electric scooters, which can now be rented and dropped off at anytime, 24/7, at 35 designated, geofenced corrals on area sidewalks.
Geofencing is a technology that can discourage the e-scooters from being operated outside designated areas by imposing fines on the riders if the e-scooters are ridden beyond approved areas.
Apps are used to check out and pay for the rentals.
For now, the program is limited to the Northbank Downtown area. To the north it extends to Beaver Street, to the east it ends at the sports complex and to the west the boundaries vary, extending to the Jacksonville Regional Transportation Center in LaVilla at the farthest point.
However, that could change at some point. “We and other vendors have had conversations. I was actually in Jacksonville in the fall to meet with the city and their planning department to discuss exactly that and figure out how we can scale and expand out if that initial service area,” said Blue Duck Senior Director of Government Partnerships Megan McNamara.
McNamara said Blue Duck, which is headquartered in San Antonio, is starting with 100 scooters. Helbiz said it is also starting with one hundred e-scooters Thursday with plans to expand its Jacksonville fleet to 250 transportation devices in the coming months.
“We’re excited to officially launch fleet operations in Jacksonville to offer sustainable and affordable rides to the community to meet their last mile needs,” said Gian Luca Spriano, Helbiz Director of International Business Development. “Jacksonville offers a vibrant community where accessible micro-mobility solutions enable residents to get around. We look forward to integrating ourselves into the community to help promote safe and equitable access to our devices.”
Helbiz, which is headquartered in New York City, said it plans to launch a number of community initiatives to engage with locals including the Helbiz Apprenticeship Program, which it says provides career pathway opportunities in the mobility industry, and the Helbiz Access Program, which offers discounts on rides for low-income residents.
The Jacksonville City Council approved legislation to launch the pilot program in February 2020.
“These vehicles provide a modern, efficient and fun way to get around Downtown. It has truly been a great partnership between all the stakeholders to bring this to fruition,” said City Councilwoman LeAnna Cumber, who introduced the legislation.
Momentum for e-scooters in Florida quickly picked up after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed off on granting e-scooter riders the same rights as bicyclists in 2019.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org, 904-358-6349 or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
