New E-Scooter/Bike Program To Officially Launch In FoCo July 26

When one door closes, another one opens.

In this instance - a door has opened for e-bike and e-scooter share company Spin; in partnership with the City of Fort Collins and Colorado State University, Spin's e-bike and e-scooter share program will officially launch in the Choice City on July 26.

Back in 2019, the City of Fort Collins and Colorado State University launched a pilot program with popular e-scooter company, Bird, which ran through May 31, 2021.

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Through the pilot program, the City and CSU were able to test how e-scooters operated in Fort Collins from a safety, equity, and sustainability perspective - as well as examine the effect of City regulations, including mandatory dismount zones, parking rules, and hours of operation.

Once the pilot program came to an end, the City of Fort Collins and CSU began discussing plans to launch a new program in late July to include both e-scooters and e-bikes to replace the Pace bike share system which went out of business in May 2020.

Spin currently operates in communities across North America and Europe.

“We’re excited to begin the next phase of micro-mobility transportation in Fort Collins,” Amanda Mansfield, a City transportation planner said in an official press release from the City of Fort Collins on Thursday (July 15). “E-bike and e-scooter share is an exciting component of the City’s efforts to promote equitable and sustainable transportation.”

As per the press release, Spin’s e-scooters and e-bikes will be located throughout the city and around the Colorado State University campus. Users can access and rent the devices through the Spin app.

While you'll be able to bike or scoot around many areas of the city, some locations in Fort Collins, like the Old Town dismount zone, will be geofenced - meaning e-bikes and scooter's will not be permitted to operate within the ‘fenced’ dismount area.

The City’s operating and parking rules for e-bikes and e-scooters will also apply to Spin devices, as per the press release.

Spin will operate daily, except between the hours of 1 a.m. and 3 a.m.

With a new program comes new initiatives; an exciting component coming out of the new Spin program is its adaptive bike delivery program, which is intended to cater to Fort Collins’ disabled and older adult community members.

According to Thursday's press release, Fort Collins residents will be able to request an adaptive bike (trike, recumbent trike, or handcycle) by calling Spin customer support, or by e-mailing support@spin.pm. Spin staff will then deliver the device to the riders’ requested location; riders will be able rent the adaptive bikes at no cost for an extended period of time.

In addition, Spin will also offer the ‘Spin Access’ program to support low-income residents in our area; eligible residents who wish to receive discounted rates can do so by providing proof of income or enrollment in city, state, or federally funded programs such as the SNAP/EBT, Health First Colorado (Medicaid), TANF, WIC, or HUD Housing Choice Vouchers.

Learn more about the Spin program by visiting www.fcgov.com/spin.