Name: S.F. to add 500 more scooters while seeking changes to permit program
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S.F. to add 500 more scooters while seeking changes to permit program

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This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSan Francisco authorized another 500 scooters in the city Friday, adding to the fleet of street-rented, two-wheeled electric vehicles that have caused considerable controversy since their arrival three years ago.Staff at the city transportation agency reported the increase at a public meeting Thursday. Once a sign of outlaw tech, the devices have become a common sight on city streets.During the pandemic, scooters have become an alternative to closed-in buses or cars at a time when people are concerned about airborne transmission of the coronavirus.The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency is also seeking permission from its board to make changes to the program that brought some order to the scooter business after a trio of startups unleashed a chaotic, unsanctioned rollout of the electric two-wheelers nearly three years ago.The agency wants to formalize scooters for disabled riders, raise fees for companies and lengthen the duration of permits. SFMTA staff planned to ask the board on Tuesday to extend the current four companies’ permits, which expire in April, to July, then take applications with new requirements.“We are confident the powered scooter-share program has consistently provided the necessary added benefits to the transportation network in San Francisco, especially as residents look to safe, open-air options,” said Karla Owunwanne, Lime’s director of government relations during public comment Thursday. “We understand that despite the success of programs this past year, there is room for improvement, specifically when it comes to safety and parking concerns.”The proposed requirements for new permits, which would start in July, include making a pilot program for a requirement; extending permits for up to two years; and giving the SFMTA’s director of transportation the ability to suspend permits based on health and safety violations. The changes would also raise the bike-rack fees required to operate scooters from $75 to $100 per vehicle and eliminate a $25,000 public property repair and maintenance fund requirement, which staff said had not been used.Four companies currently hold permits to operate scooters on city streets: Lime, Scoot, Spin and Jump, formerly an Uber subsidiary. As of Thursday, Lime had placed 2,000 scooters on city streets; Scoot 1,000 and Spin 1,500, which would increase to 2,000 on Friday. Uber folded its Jump subsidiary into Lime in May and invested in its former scooter rival. The companies have collectively installed 1,225 bike racks, with Lime paying $150,000 in bike-rack fees, Scoot $75,000 and Spin $112,500.Related StoriesRatings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutesAt the start of shelter-in-place, scooter ridership dropped by 90%, staff reported. Nine months later, ridership has rebounded to around half of pre-pandemic levels. Some and expanding as residents opt to use single-rider vehicles instead of public transit as the pandemic continues to rage.Scooters have been a lightning rod, with some city-dwellers hailing the technology as a new transportation savior and others decrying hazardous riding and blocked sidewalks. The SFMTA has tracked around 3,389 scooter-parking citations since October 2019, with an uptick after the pandemic, staff reported Thursday.Several members of the public who called in to the meeting expressed support for expanding the program, but some vented frustration at ongoing issues. A Chinatown resident said scooters on sidewalks are a pedestrian safety hazard, noting Scoot was the only scooter company that barred scooters from the area per the community’s request, and wanted more access points for helmets after hearing reports about serious accidents on scooters. A Castro bicyclist complained that bike racks and park benches are often overrun with two-wheelers.Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: Twitter:Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateSan Francisco authorized another 500 scooters in the city Friday, adding to the fleet of street-rented, two-wheeled electric vehicles that have caused considerable controversy since their arrival three years ago.Staff at the city transportation agency reported the increase at a public meeting Thursday. Once a sign of outlaw tech, the devices have become a common sight on city streets.During the pandemic, scooters have become an alternative to closed-in buses or cars at a time when people are concerned about airborne transmission...

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Mallory Moench

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S.F. to add 500 more scooters while seeking changes to permit program

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