Episode 82 – Cities and E-Scooters: The Portland Approach

Unedited Transcript Mpact Podcast Episode 82-Cities and E-Scooters: The Portland Approach

Six years into the e-scooter era, this podcast provides an update from the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT), a leader in piloting the relationship between cities and micromobility providers.

Jacob Sherman, New Mobility and Electrification Program Manager, and Dylan Rivera, Public Information Officer, both at PBOT, talk about how the terms have evolved since 2018, from city as regulator (fill out the paperwork, get the permit to operate and go) to city as partner, in which the city establishes goals and asks companies how they can meet them. Portland was the first to require scooter companies to provide ISO compliant life cycle analysis of the scooters as a condition of gaining access to the market. Portland also requires e-scooter companies to provide equity programs, including discount pricing and a neighborhood coverage zone approach to vehicle deployment.

Sherman and Rivera share what they’ve learned from rider surveys and data: about how e-scooters “are growing the active transportation pie,” who’s riding, what trips they replaced and the effect of infrastructure on safety and adoption of e-scooters. Also hear about funding sources, how Portland works with disability rights advocates to educate riders, and how policies for e-scooters are shaping plans for e-bikes.

“A lot of local government policy makers and staff are not used to thinking of themselves as controlling access to a market. And yet that’s really how a lot of private companies view us. . . . They want to be here and we want some public goods. So how do we meet both of our goals?” – Dylan Rivera

“I really feel like the mobility data space is the cutting edge of 21st century transportation planning. We’re just starting to uncover the tip of the iceberg on what we can do as we start to get smarter about some of the data streams and sources that we now have at our fingertips.” – Jacob Sherman