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Gastonia approves Peel Scooters contract for 25 e‑scooters downtown, with geofencing and 5¢ per‑ride city fee
Summary
City council unanimously awarded a contract to Peel Scooters to operate a 25‑scooter pilot in downtown Gastonia (operational boundary proposed for the Fuse district), requiring insurance, a surety bond, geofencing, rider education and a 5¢ per‑ride payment to the city; launch expected in spring 2025.
Gastonia City Council approved a contract on Nov. 19 with Peel Scooters to operate a limited e‑scooter pilot in downtown Gastonia. Assistant City Manager Quentin McFadder and a Peel representative explained the program would begin with 25 scooters and expand based on demand. The vendor confirmed geofencing will enforce operational boundaries (the likely initial boundary was described as the Fuse district: Long Avenue to the north, Broad Street to the east and Second Avenue to the south), and that the system will support slow zones, no‑parking zones and rebalancing procedures.
Key contract terms identified in the staff presentation and vendor responses include:
- Fleet and timing: Initial deployment of 25 scooters, target launch in spring 2025 (no later than June 1, 2025); option to expand later. - City fee: Peel will pay the city five cents per ride, remitted quarterly (staff provided a past comparison where a short pilot produced about $2,000 over a multi‑month span). - Operations and safety: Geo‑fencing will slow or stop scooters that leave the permitted area; Peel will provide rider education on safe use and can set software restrictions (age checks, banned riders for repeat misuse). Operators are responsible for retrieval, maintenance and addressing abandoned or vandalized units; fleet managers receive real‑time incident alerts. - Liability and compliance: The agreement requires a surety bond, a certificate of liability insurance and indemnification of the city; the operator said it would handle user‑incident claims and maintenance responses.
Council members asked about geofencing, speed limits, age restrictions, parking enforcement and data reporting. Peel said the system supports license checks and can limit accounts to adults if council chooses; it also provides reporting data and can require photos or dedicated parking zones to reduce sidewalk obstruction. The council approved the staff recommendation with no recorded opposition.
Next steps: Staff and the vendor will finalize minor contract edits, notify council in advance of the launch (vendor said about 15 days notice), and begin a pilot deployment with continued monitoring of parking behavior, safety incidents and ridership.
