E-Scooter Pilot Program

Project Updates

Shared Micromobility Services License Application Process Open: Spring 2022

Administrative Orders 58-22-02-F and 58-22-03-F were signed into effect by City Manager Sarah Medary on April 19, 2022. The orders establish Shared Micromobility Service License Administrative Rule R-3.570, and set a fee schedule for shared micromobility services. To apply for a shared micromobility service license, Administrative Rule R-3.570 dictates a two-phase process – conditional approval and final approval. On April 20, 2022, the City published and began accepting conditional approval applications for shared micromobility services licensure. The window to accept conditional use applications closed on May 6, 2022.

To meet the minimum qualifications for conditional approval, applicants had to submit application materials that satisfied a range of requirements. These included (but were not limited to) a Life-Cycle Analysis and End-of-Life Plan to meet sustainability requirements, an Operations and Maintenance Plan and a User Enforcement Plan to meet safety requirements, and an Adaptive Micromobility Device Plan and a Community Engagement Plan to meet equity requirements. Having received the conditional approval, Bird is now invited to apply for final approval

Request for Information: Fall 2021

In August 2021, City of Eugene Transportation Planning Staff released a Request for Information (RFI) for shared e-scooter services. The RFI contained a series of questions designed to gather information from interested e-scooter companies about how their companies operate and would potentially align with Eugene's values of safety, sustainability, and equity. Seven companies responded.

Eugene City Council Adopts Ordinances to Implement E-Scooter Pilot Program: July 2020

On February 26, 2020, the Eugene City Council provided direction to move forward with an E-Scooter Pilot Program, pending code updates. A formal public hearing on two new ordinances - one to license shared mobility businesses, and one to allow micro-mobility devices to operate on the city's shared-use paths - was held on June 15, 2020. During the public hearing members of the community were invited to comment on the ordinances. It is important to note that Oregon state law prohibits electric scooters from operating at speeds above 15mph.

On July 13, 2020, City Council voted to adopt the code update ordinances.

Evaluation Criteria Public Outreach Summary Report: December 2019

To get a better understanding of the public’s perspective on e-scooters, we conducted an e-scooter evaluation criteria survey. Feedback received from the survey and public outreach was used to inform scooter company selection criteria.

Thank you to the over 540 people who participated in the survey. The summary report is AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD HERE.

Program Background

What is Happening?

The City of Eugene is considering launching an E-Scooter Pilot Program. There are several things that need to happen first before the program could potentially launch. This includes possibly making changes to city code, establishing criteria for selecting e-scooter companies, and creating regulations to govern how and where e-scooters may operate. If the program launches, it is predicted to begin in Summer 2020.

Throughout the process we'd like to know what you think about e-scooters and how they may potentially operate in Eugene. Your feedback will be used to help inform how we review e-scooter operators' permit applications and ultimately which company(ies) we may select to operate in Eugene. Additionally, it will be used to establish rules and regulations for where and how scooters operate within Eugene’s city limits.

Why is this Happening?

The City of Eugene has multiple policies in place that support the creation of a shared e-scooter program. Eugene’s Climate Recovery Ordinance states that by 2030 community fossil fuel use should fall to 50% of 2010 levels. Additionally, both the city’s 20-year long range land use (Envision Eugene) and transportation plans (Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan) state that the number of trips made by transit, bicycling, or walking should be tripled.

It should be noted that when these plans were created, e-scooters did not yet exist. The intention of increasing the number of transit, bicycling, and walking trips, however, is to reduce the number of trips made by gasoline (fossil fuel) consuming, single-occupancy vehicles. E-scooters present an additional opportunity for the city to provide a method of moving people in a fun and accessible way that does not require the use of personal vehicles. In short, e-scooters could help reduce vehicle use, which in turn would reduce fossil fuel use, which in turn would help to achieve the Climate Recovery Ordinance goals.

Micro-mobility – What is It and Why Should I Care?

At its core “micro-mobility” means just what its name says ­­– mobility options that are small. The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), defines it as “small, fully or partially human-powered vehicles such as bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters.”

This definition offers a lot of lee-way for interpretation. As such, the City of Eugene has created its own definition for “micro-mobility” in order to write new city code that will allow e-scooter use within city boundaries. The definition is flexible enough to cover the next new “micro” transportation technology that arises, so long as it lightweight and human or electric-powered.

Shared micromobility device. A lightweight vehicle that: (a) Is no more than 3 feet wide; (b) Can be propelled by electric propulsion, human propulsion, or both; (c) If being propelled by electricity, is capable of traveling at no more than 20 miles per hour; and (d) Is made available for rent or public shared use in the public right-of-way.