Portland expands its shared e-scooter fleet

The Portland Bureau of Transportation has made it clear that shared electric scooters are here to stay. Two new multiyear contracts with Lime and Lyft have recently been announced that would bring the citywide fleet to upward of 3,500 scooters. Millicent Williams is the director of PBOT. She joins us to share more on this expansion and micromobility in Portland.

The following transcript was created by a computer and edited by a volunteer:

Geoff Norcross: This is Think Out Loud on OPB. I’m Geoff Norcross, in for Dave Miller. The city of Portland has decided that electric scooters are here to stay. The Portland Bureau of Transportation has recently announced that shared e-scooters will be a permanent part of the city’s transportation plan. The city is contracted with the companies Lyft and Lime to put up to 3,500 of the scooters on the city streets.

Here to talk more about the city leaning into this micro mobility option is Millicent Williams, director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation. Millicent, welcome to Think Out Loud.

Millicent Williams: Thank you so much. Good afternoon. It’s great being here today.

Norcross: What problems do these scooters solve?

Williams: Well, there are a host of problems that we hope to be able to see the scooter solve, largely around getting people around safely, quickly and without impacting our environment through emissions.

The scooters are quick access points for people to be able to get from A to B really quickly, really affordably. And actually, it’s a lot of fun as well. So we want to solve the problems of every trip being considered to be a car trip. And I know in Portland, we’re fortunate in that we have a very strong bike network, and a number of folks who bike on a daily basis and use that as their main mode of travel. But there are those who may not have that opportunity, and we want to provide them opportunities to look at other options.

Norcross: There were a couple of pilot programs as I mentioned for these scooters, and it went well enough that you decided to keep doing it. But what kind of lessons did you learn?

Williams: There were a host of lessons, chief among them we wanted to be really intentional around safety and the appropriate use of scooters, the appropriate engagement of scooters. What we learned was people found themselves riding on sidewalks. That’s something that is less than ideal, especially given that scooters can go in excess of 15 miles an hour. So that was a safety concern. We’ve sought to address that, we continue to work on that on a daily basis. Also, people were riding without helmets, and so we continued to work to educate around what’s appropriate when riding a scooter.

As another consideration, there were often scooters strewn about on the sidewalks, making it unsafe for people to navigate safely whether they’re walking or having a lunch outside, there was a scooter in the way. And so a number of us used to routinely go around and just kind of pick them up and move them to the side. But we’ve sought to remedy that problem by incorporating a locking system as well with the scooters that we have now. People are required to lock their scooters onto either a bike rack or a street sign so that they are clear of the right way, clear of the ramps and people are able to move about the right of way safely.

Norcross: We’ll dig into a few of those as we go, but we asked for some voicemails from Portland about these scooters, and we’ll start with a thumbs up from Pedro who lives in downtown Portland.

Pedro [voicemail]: I love having these scooters in the city. They’re super convenient, more than a bus or getting an Uber. If you’re anywhere and need a short ride, say, 10 blocks away, it’s just the quickest option and easy to use. I’m very happy Portland has decided to keep these scooters around.

Norcross: Pedro said 10 blocks. Is that the idea – a trip that’s short enough that a bus or an Uber trip just doesn’t make any sense?

Williams: That is one of the niche areas that we seek to address and provide service for. In my personal experience, when I’ve ridden scooters, it is for those really short office to office trips. I’m not necessarily going to the grocery store and loading up, but rather something really quick and easy. And as Pedro mentioned, having the opportunity to walk outside of your door, especially in the downtown area, although we’re going to have scooters all over the city of Portland, is incredibly convenient. It’s right there at your fingertips. You use your app, you activate the scooter, you jump on, you put your helmet on, and then you ride down the street. It’s really an opportunity for us to reimagine and revolutionize the way people move about the city.

Norcross: You mentioned that the scooters are going to be around the city. But this city is a collection of neighborhoods, and some neighborhoods have better infrastructure for these scooters than others. What would you say for people who are concerned about riding a scooter in East Portland where there may not be as many bike lanes?

Williams: Well, thank you for bringing that up. The condition of our infrastructure is certainly a conversation that we consider every day. The way that we seek to address that is to, first of all, encourage people to use the existing networks that we do have. Our neighborhood greenways, many of the collector streets, not main arterials, are actually ideal locations for people to ride those scooters, and we tend to give attention to those streets in terms of maintenance.

The challenge however, as we’ve discussed even on this show previously, is that the funding does not match the need in terms of providing for that consistent quality of infrastructure. So we continue to look at ways to make those improvements along the way. We have a capital improvement program, hundreds of millions of dollars that we invest in capital improvements all around the city. All of those have a bike network component in terms of improving that infrastructure. So we just have to continue to work on it. We know it’s an issue.

We do have an opportunity to work closely with those that we’ve contracted with. Some of the proceeds from the use of scooters goes to harden the infrastructure. So there is the opportunity for the buffering of bike lanes, keeping people separated from car travel so that they can feel safer. But we recognize it to be an issue, and it’s also an opportunity as we continue to have the conversation about how to move people around the city safely.

Norcross: I looked at the number of e-scooter rides during the second quarter of this year, which is the last quarter we have data on. There were just under three trips per day, on average, between the beginning of April and end of June. Can you put that into context for me? Is that a lot?

Am I looking at the dashboard incorrectly?

Williams: I think you might be. I didn’t take a look at the dashboard prior to coming over, but I will say in 2023, we had a total of 1.1 million rides. So I’m not sure if the three is a pure one, two, three number or three, representing 10s or 100s.

[Clarification for this transcript: On average, there are 3,600 e-scooters being used a day in Portland. Each scooter, on average, is being used to make roughly three trips a day.]

Norcross: But the point is you have seen a growth?

Williams: We have seen tremendous, tremendous growth. In 2018, we had roughly 800,000 rides. Of course, over the course of the pandemic, in those years when we were most affected, no ridership or very little ridership. But in the past year, 1.1 million. So we’ve seen an increase, and we’ve seen an increase in interest.

Norcross: Let’s hear another voicemail. This is another resident from downtown Portland, Susan.

Susan [voicemail]: I cannot tell you how many scooters have passed right in front of my car while I’m going 30 miles an hour. Drunk people going down hills out of control, leaving their scooters in places where either pedestrians or cars can run into them. I appreciate the environmental aspect, but in terms of public safety, I think it’s a menace. And I’m sorry to hear the city is bringing more into town.

Norcross: Susan had brought up this issue that you had talked about, with scooters just sort of strewn everywhere. Can you talk a little bit more about how PBOT is going to prevent this?

Williams: Well, again, we hope to increase our opportunities to enforce around what’s proper and appropriate for the use of scooters, reminding people of their obligations to lock those scooters to either street signs or to bike racks. As it relates to the way that people operate them, that’s something that we continue to have the opportunity to educate around. Much like the use of motorcycles, sometimes people can’t see when a scooter is coming, although there’s lights on the scooters and there are opportunities for people to use them safely. The individual uses and the way that people use them sometimes is less than safe. So we continue to educate around it. We continue to ensure that folks know that there are going to be many modes of users on every road, and so we all have to look out for not just ourselves, but each other.

And as we continue to strengthen the program, we have the opportunity to strengthen the way that we regulate the use of those tools. Scooters are not necessarily intended to be used in a bike lane. They’re fast moving. Bike lanes are typically for folks who are using bicycles. But we’re having active conversations even now about how we look at the reallocation of space within bike lanes. Because you have e-scooters, and e-bikes. My e-bike goes up to 28 miles an hour. Is it appropriate for me to be in a bike lane? I could technically be on the street where the speed limit is 20 miles an hour. So where should I be? That’s the question that we are grappling with right now, and actually working with partners across the country, especially those who are investing in this type of technology. To answer the questions, Portland is leaning in and leading the way in those conversations.

Norcross: “Where should I be?” seems like a big question in all this because you’ve already told me sidewalks are a no-no, bike lanes can be a no-no. Should that have been worked out before you rolled out all these scooters?

Williams: Potentially. But what we recognize is the obligation that we have to when we see a problem, work to solve that problem, versus assuming we have all the answers and saying “this is it.” This is evolving. And so with that evolution, we have to continue to evolve, and really be responsive and nimble. And the hope is that over the course of the next several years as we continue to see the growth of this program, that we’ll continue to see the success of this program. And we recognize that that will require everyone feel comfortable, feel considered as we move the program forward.

Norcross: You mentioned that the scooters will need to be chained to bike racks. When I’m done with my ride, what do I actually need to do to my scooter?

Williams: So each of the scooters is equipped with … it’s more of a cord, it’s not a chain. It’s wrapped in whatever that plastic is that covers the cords. Each scooter is equipped with a retractable cord. You simply take the attachment and click it into the base, which is on the post

One of the things that I’ve shared in other conversations is that sometimes when people would end a scooter ride, even though you end it by clicking your app, taking a picture, sending that picture in, and you hear the scooter power down or click off, and you’re told that your ride is ended, the tactile nature of having a thing to do to actually close out that transaction, is something that makes people feel like they finished. Right now, you can step off of a scooter and just walk away, which is how you end up having scooters kind of in the right of way. But if you’re having to end the transaction, lock it to a bike rack or a street sign, that ends it both from a process standpoint, but psychologically, you’re ending your ride, and you’re able to move about the system safely.

And it’s really quick. You’re not having to unbundle anything. It’s right there. You just lift it up, slide it around, slip it back in.

Norcross: If there are going to be so many more scooters, won’t there need to be more bike racks?

Williams: Yeah, there will. And we also hope that we have more folks riding bikes. And so again, just as I mentioned about general infrastructure around roadways, we look at how the city continues to grow and the needs. One of the ways that we’re able to assess what we need as it relates to bike racks, and we wouldn’t put in street signs unnecessarily just for people to dock their scooters on, but we look at ridership and we look at the locations where people are riding and the frequency with which people are riding. And we’re able to make adjustments with infrastructure and the tools. Like staples, those are the blue things that you see that look like a staple, that are on corners often in front of businesses. As we move through development processes, there are requirements for those who are building or improving their frontage, to put those things. So we consider that all the time. But when we see the increased ridership or the increased need, we will address that need.

Norcross: I want to play another voicemail, this one is from Maria. Let’s hear that now.

Maria [voicemail]: My son had a terrible accident on a scooter that almost killed him. So I was very surprised to see the news that the scooters are becoming a permanent part of transportation in Portland, and no mention to the risk of writing these machines that I call killing machines. They are so dangerous, and I haven’t heard the word “helmet” in any of the announcements. A helmet should be a mandatory part of using these machines in order to safeguard the health of our population. Helmets should be mandatory.

Norcross: Maria calls these e-scooters killing machines, and says helmets should be mandatory. What do you say to that?

Williams: Well, first, I’d like to express my regret that Maria’s son had an accident that really changed the way that even he and she feel about the use of scooters. It’s unfortunate.

And I would imagine that there were a number of factors, perhaps the infrastructure that we’ve talked about and, perhaps people not operating in the right of way safely. And I’m not suggesting that that was the case with her son, but there are a lot of factors that we need to consider. And so again, I’m really challenged to hear that there have been accidents that people experience when using the tools that we are providing for people to be able to use them safely.

Helmets are a requirement for people who are riding scooters. The challenge is that many times people don’t walk around with their bike helmet or their scooter helmets in their backpacks hanging on their purses, and we don’t provide those as a convenience for people who are riding the scooters. We do post that it is a requirement, it is a legal requirement for people to use helmets when they’re riding scooters. But from time to time, we find that people don’t always observe the rules.

We do want to make sure that we’re intentional around how we enforce, and who’s responsible for that enforcement of folks who are using those scooters. Is that the police officer’s job? Is it a parking enforcement officer’s job? Is it a code enforcement officer’s job to stop someone and say “hey, I see that you’re riding improperly, you need to put a helmet on.” Maybe it’s everyone’s job, and I would dare say it is – if you’re brave enough to stop someone who’s moving 15 mph down the sidewalk. It is challenging, so I wouldn’t suggest people confront users.

But it is our responsibility to make sure that people know what that legal obligation is, so that as we are moving through the process of increasing the opportunity for people to have access, that they also understand the obligations around being safe riders and being conscientious about their environment.

Norcross: How visible are these scooters when they’re being operated?

Williams: They’re quite visible. The colors are intentional – white, orange, green are the primary colors. There are reflective materials on all of the scooters, and they’re all equipped with lights, both in the front and in the back, so you can use them even at night. But again, just as I mentioned about mopeds and motorcycles, they are a different use, so people have to really be paying attention. But we hope that people will make sure that, given that they know that this is a part of our formula for moving people around the city, that they will be conscientious.

Norcross: How often do you ride one?

Williams: The last time I rode one was last week when my sister was in town and she saw one. She lives in a community where they don’t have scooters, and she was excited about it. So we rode around for a few miles.

On an average over the course of the past several years, at least twice a week? Very short trips, but twice a week. It’s so convenient, it’s so easy, it’s so affordable. And I don’t want to suggest that everyone has a disposable income to throw at using the latest innovation. But relative to some of the other tools that are out there and some of the other ways that people can move around, and the convenience with which you can move around, is a tremendously easy option, and one that is exciting for me. And again, as I mentioned at the top of the conversation, really, really fun.

Norcross: Millicent Williams, thank you so much for this.

Williams: Thank you so much.

Norcross: Millicent Williams is the director of the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

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