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Shared scooter and e‑bike program stable after fleet caps; city plans parking boxes, data and rule updates
Summary
City staff reported a year of data after fleet reductions in Austin's shared micromobility program: trips fell modestly while trips per device increased. Staff plans more parking infrastructure (parking boxes), improved crash reporting with Vision Zero and a May–July timeline to post and adopt updated director’s rules.
Transportation staff updated the Mobility Committee on April 17 about the shared micromobility program (shared scooters and e‑bikes), reporting modest trip declines after a fleet consolidation and outlining next steps for parking infrastructure, data collection and director’s rules.
Program Manager Mike Kimbrough said the city capped vendors at two operators and fixed permitted fleet size at about 6,880 devices after two providers exited the market in 2023. The city also limited the downtown deployment per operator to 1,125 devices (2,250 total downtown) under the changes from April 2024.
Kimbrough presented year‑over‑year metrics: total trips across the city fell 2.3 percent (from about 2.915 million in 2023–24 to about 2.85 million in 2024–25), despite a roughly 30 percent reduction in total devices. Downtown trips declined about 9.4 percent (from 1.997 million to 1.81 million) while downtown fleet size fell about 45 percent. Trips per device per day rose citywide from roughly 1.21 to 1.36 and downtown from about 1.10 to 1.79, indicating higher utilization per remaining device.
Staff also reported a reduction in 311 customer service reports for improperly parked devices after moving enforcement intake into an internal system that better tracks vendor response times and service level agreements.
On infrastructure and outreach, staff said they will expand the city’s micromobility parking program (parking boxes and marked stalls) and use survey and map input from a recent public survey (679 participants and roughly 1,300 comments) to site new parking locations. The survey found nearly half of respondents were aware of parking boxes but only 28 percent had used them; 54 percent of device users reported it is unclear where to park devices properly.
Kimbrough said staff are working with Vision Zero and medical/emergency data partners to standardize crash and collision reporting from vendors and emergency responders so the city can better measure injuries and safety trends. He said a coordinated data template for vendor collision reports is under development.
Staff plans to post proposed director’s rules for the shared micromobility program for public comment in early May, respond to comments by early July and seek adoption around July 10. Proposed rule changes will clarify definitions, create a performance scorecard for operators, allow temporary device increases for special events, and authorize field audits of device safety and equipment condition.
Why it matters: Scooter and e‑bike operations affect downtown circulation, first‑/last‑mile access and equity for transit‑adjacent communities. Staff says caps improved utilization while enforcement and parking infrastructure remain priorities.
What’s next: Staff will continue mapping parking‑box locations for installation, pursue improved crash reporting with Vision Zero and EMS data partners, and post the director’s rules for public comment in May.
