Editor's Note: This page formerly hosted our interactive tool to map the chaotic and growing trend of dockless scooter and bike programs in cities nationwide. For more than two years we updated this resource weekly with information on pilots, innovation and outright bans of the vehicles — but as the smart cities industry evolves, so do our editorial priorities.
The map and its data have been archived and are no longer available to the public. If you wish to collect any archived data, please reach out to the Smart Cities Dive team at [email protected]. Otherwise, see below for our most recent shared mobility coverage, dating back to January 2020, and continue checking in for ongoing coverage of the industry.
Tracking the impact of dockless vehicles
All of our must-read micromobility news, updated regularly to keep you informed.
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New York City to roll out phase 2 of its e-scooter pilot
By Chris Teale, Cailin Crowe and Danielle McLean • April 14, 2021The city will double the Bird, Lime, and Veo e-scooter footprint in the East Bronx from 3,000 to 6,000 vehicles while extending the pilot zone. Read the full article ➔
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Lime introduces its first e-moped fleet in Washington, DC
By Chris Teale • April 5, 2021The company deployed an initial 100 vehicles in the city last week, with Lime CEO Wayne Ting citing the company's commitment to safety as the service's biggest differentiator. Read the full article ➔
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Meet the 'anti-tech bro' scooter CEO calling out her competition
By Kristin Musulin • Jan. 5, 2021Veo CEO Candice Xie says her company reached profitability in May, months ahead of Lime. Now, she's clapping back at her competitors' "PR plays." Read the full article ➔
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Lime reports first profitable quarter
By Kristin Musulin • Nov. 20, 2020CEO Wayne Ting said the scooter company is seeing record ridership in many cities, and teased offerings that will unlock new mobility opportunities in 2021. Read the full article ➔
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Lime, WWF partner to promote clean transportation
By Chris Teale • Oct. 22, 2020The micromobility giant and conservation leader will run joint education and advocacy campaigns in a bid to enhance mobility options and safer streets. Read the full article ➔
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Most scooter injuries happening on sidewalks: study
By Chris Teale • Oct. 19, 2020The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found three in five scooter riders are injured on the sidewalk versus one in five injured in bike lanes, but there are still doubts over where scooters can be safely ridden. Read the full article ➔
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Micromobility industry offers free Election Day rides
By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 8, 2020The North American Bikeshare Association's "Roll to Polls" campaign aims to help voters work around a transportation gap exacerbated by the pandemic. Read the full article ➔
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Lime unveils MaaS platform to expand micromobilty access
By Kristin Musulin • Oct. 8, 2020Micromobility operator Wheels will be Lime's first partner on the platform, which is intended to become a "one-stop shop" for shared electric vehicles. Read the full article ➔
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Micromobility vets launch Ridepanda e-ride marketplace
By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 23, 2020The site offers a selection of e-bikes, e-scooters and mopeds to encourage ownership of light electric vehicles and reduce personal car ownership. Read the full article ➔
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LINK is tapping top talent to one-up its scooter competition
By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 21, 2020In the wake of industry layoffs and consolidation, one micromobility firm is hiring its competitors' former leaders to develop a unique scooter-sharing service. Read the full article ➔
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An urbanist's guide to creating effective mobility pilots
By Kristin Musulin • Sept. 15, 2020Harvard Kennedy School visiting fellow David Zipper outlined the dos and don'ts of piloting mobility tech to aid governments in navigating uncertainty. Read the full article ➔
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Micromobility 'here to stay' despite COVID setbacks: NACTO
By Chris Teale • Sept. 2, 2020Shared bikes and scooters saw 136 million trips in 2019, up 60% from 2018, and ridership has largely rebounded from the pandemic's initial blows. Read the full article ➔
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Revel returns to NYC streets with new safety features
By Chris Teale • Aug. 28, 2020After the deaths of three riders forced service to stop last month, the company said it is back with a mandatory in-app safety test and helmet selfie requirement, among other features. Read the full article ➔
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GHSA calls for unified leadership on micromobility rules, safety
By Chris Teale • Aug. 27, 2020Local governments should be given as much flexibility as possible to regulate the devices and provide infrastructure for their safe use, the Governors Highway Safety Association reports. Read the full article ➔
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Young entrepreneurs dream up IoT-powered scooter sanitization system
By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 13, 2020The patent-pending device from KirbyPod may offer a solution to the pandemic-related health risks currently plaguing shared mobility. Read the full article ➔
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NUMO tool evaluates micromobility data against policy goals
By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 10, 2020More than 50 partners convened to develop a recourse site that details appropriate ways to implement data-sharing requirements and use the data. Read the full article ➔
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After years of debate, NYC approves scooter pilot program
By Chris Teale • June 26, 2020City council passed a law requiring the launch of a shared micromobility pilot by March 1, 2021 — though some council members are still concerned about safety and charging capacity. Read the full article ➔
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Denver's trash, Houston's treasure: How a bike fleet deal saved a trip to the scrapyard
By Kristin Musulin • June 10, 2020When Denver Bike Sharing shuttered its BCycle program in early 2020, Houston Bike Share saw an opportunity to expand its own fleet, saving thousands of dollars along the way. Read the full article ➔
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Koloni offers deal to save JUMP bikes from scrap
By Kristin Musulin • May 29, 2020The bike-sharing platform, which worked with Spin in 2018 to redeploy old bikes, offered to pay Uber 250% over the price it receives to scrap JUMP bikes. Read the full article ➔
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Populus unveils mobility data sharing guide for cities
By Kristin Musulin • May 22, 2020The guide aims to help cities and operators "very clearly articulate" which types of data are needed for various transportation policies and goals. Read the full article ➔
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Tortoise, GoX pilot world's first teleoperated scooters
By Kristin Musulin • May 20, 2020The six-month pilot in Peachtree Corners, GA will test a fleet of e-scooters equipped with tech that enables remote-controlled "repositioning" of the devices without a rider. Read the full article ➔
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Miami pilots e-cargo bikes to reduce congestion, pollution
By Cailin Crowe • May 18, 2020The city partnered with DHL and Reef Technologies to pilot the bikes for last-mile deliveries, a move that's expected to reduce 101,000 kg of CO2e annually. Read the full article ➔
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The hot seat: 10 questions with Lime's chief policy officer
By Kristin Musulin • May 18, 2020On the heels of its $170 million investment round led by Uber, we caught up with David Spielfogel to learn how Lime is altering operations and to discuss the future of micromobility M&As. Read the full article ➔
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Researchers explore effects of COVID-19 on urban mobility
By Kristin Musulin • May 4, 2020University researchers have partnered with Bird, Spin, Transit app and local transit agencies to study mobility trends in Nashville, TN and Portland, OR amid coronavirus restrictions and recovery. Read the full article ➔
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Spin exec: The scooter industry will see a resurgence
By Cailin Crowe • April 28, 2020Scooter companies were supposed to focus on becoming profitable in 2020. Spin Co-Founder Euwyn Poon explains how the pandemic shifted that focus. Read the full article ➔
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Spin unveils 'Build a Better Barrier Challenge' winners
By Chris Teale • April 21, 2020The grand prize was given to "WeCLAIM," a design that uses reclaimed tires to build lane dividers filled with plants and grasses, in a bid to ensure clear separation of travel lanes. Read the full article ➔
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Uber sues LADOT over data-sharing requirements
By Chris Teale • March 26, 2020The company said the Mobility Data Specification violates state and federal laws and is a form of surveillance that gathers personal details. LADOT has not yet responded. Read the full article ➔
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Counting scooters: The science behind micromobility fleet measurements
By David Allison • March 25, 2020Understanding how many scooters are on the road means deciphering a complex and interconnected web of action and information. Read the full article ➔
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Will scooters survive the COVID-19 crisis?
By Jason Plautz • March 20, 2020Firms step up disinfecting — and in some cases exit cities altogether to limit the spread of disease. But the disruption comes at a difficult time for the industry, blunting the typical spring rebound. Read the full article ➔
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Micromobility could replace 51% of Chicago car trips: report
By Cailin Crowe • March 16, 2020The Chicago Council on Global Affairs said the city should embrace micromobility, not just e-scooters, as it considers 2020 scooter pilot guidelines. Read the full article ➔
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2% of scooters are improperly parked: study
By Cailin Crowe • March 5, 2020Much attention has been paid to improperly parked scooters, which has likely overshadowed the real culprit behind most parking violations: cars. Read the full article ➔
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Bird Pay connects scooter riders with local businesses
By Chris Teale • Feb. 26, 2020Bird riders in the Los Angeles area will be able to use the app for purchases at participating businesses as a way of encouraging more scooter trips. Read the full article ➔
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Spin deploys first public charging hubs in Phoenix
By Chris Teale • Feb. 24, 2020The Spin Hubs, powered by Swiftmile, are available in the public rights-of-way of two locations that are popular start and end points for scooter rides. Read the full article ➔
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In the case of Uber vs. LA, here's why you should bet on LA
By Bradley Tusk • Feb. 18, 2020Traditionally, Uber has had the tools to win a fight like the one it's facing over its Jump scooters and bikes in Los Angeles. But things have changed. Read the full article ➔
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What happens when an auto giant buys a scooter startup?
By Cailin Crowe • Feb. 18, 2020Spin Co-Founder Euwyn Poon details the advantages and challenges of working under Ford Smart Mobility, including its impact on growth and labor management. Read the full article ➔
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Insurance is a 'proxy for public trust' in mobility
By Cailin Crowe • Feb. 12, 2020A new mobility report outlines the role that the insurance industry and actuarial science can play to help cities understand the associated risks of new mobility options. Read the full article ➔
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Lime pledges zero-emission operations fleet by 2030
By Chris Teale • Feb. 7, 2020The company is looking to further its sustainability efforts following a 2019 study that called out operators' use of gas-powered re-distribution vans. Read the full article ➔
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A breakdown of Chicago's scooter pilot, by the numbers
By Kristin Musulin • Jan. 31, 2020An analysis found racial and economic disparities in use, 192 probable emergency room visits and 116 tons of CO2 potentially reduced. Read the full article ➔
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Bird strengthens European foothold with Circ acquisition
By Cailin Crowe • Jan. 29, 2020The acquisition points to growing consolidation across the micromobility industry as scooter companies seek profits and sustainability. Read the full article ➔
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Bird exec: The scooter 'is really just the beginning' of sustainable mobility
By Chris Teale • Jan. 23, 2020Sustainability head Melinda Hanson believes 2020 could be a big year for dockless scooter companies to cut emissions while encouraging safer streets. Read the full article ➔
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Amazon, Lime part of new alliance to accelerate EVs
By Jason Plautz • Jan. 23, 2020The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance will demand production of new EV models and infrastructure, especially in the delivery and shipping sectors. Read the full article ➔
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Skip voluntarily shares scooters' true carbon impact
By Katie Pyzyk • Jan. 22, 2020In a step toward greater sustainability, the company will release quarterly information on its S3 scooters' spare part use, maintenance, recycling and disposal. Read the full article ➔
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Spin selects 6 nonprofits for mobility data fellowship
By Katie Pyzyk • Jan. 16, 2020The advocacy groups will have access to a street data toolkit for one year, and UC-Davis will evaluate the findings for deeper insights. Read the full article ➔
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Uber calls on Congress to boost cyclist, pedestrian safety
By Katie Pyzyk • Jan. 14, 2020Through its new City Mobility Campaign, Uber is working with cycling advocates to urge increased funding for infrastructure that can protect vulnerable roadway users. Read the full article ➔