Boulder transportation staff report sharp growth in shared e-bike and e-scooter ridership, outline parking and safety measures

Boulder — City transportation staff told the Transportation Advisory Board on Feb. 10 that Boulder’s shared micromobility program — the city’s contracted B Cycle e-bikes and Lime e-scooters — has expanded substantially since 2021 and that staff are using parking corrals, geofencing and fines to manage parking and safety while pursuing equity programs and further program monitoring.

“Shared micromobility offers yet another multimodal transportation choice to advance our goals around reduced VMT and greenhouse gas emissions and often serves as a first and last mile solution to connect to transit,” said Allison Moore Farrell, senior transportation planner in the city’s Transportation and Mobility division.

The update described ridership, operational rules and the management steps the city and providers have taken since the scooter pilot and subsequent citywide expansion. Staff presented ridership figures, estimated vehicle trips replaced using national-mode-shift studies, enforcement steps for improper parking and equity provisions that providers must meet.

City figures and staff statements

Allison Moore Farrell said B Cycle’s fleet and membership arrangements contributed to strong ridership: between September 2023 and December 2024 B Cycle registered nearly 1.1 million rides (about 2,200 trips per day), with trips averaging about 15 minutes and two miles. The city reported roughly 777,000 shared e-bike trips in 2024 when presented by calendar year. Farrell said Lime e-scooter ridership rose sharply after fall 2023 citywide…