Enough scooters, for now

The city has so far given permits for 15,650 individual dockless mobility units – mostly scooters – to be distributed across the city. That may seem like a lot for a city of Austin’s size, but only 4,650 of those units are licensed to be distributed in the downtown Austin project coordination zone, Austin’s core. Nonetheless, the Austin Transportation Department has placed an indefinite pause on the incoming stream of dockless units in order to assess the level of demand for those currently available. During this time, the department will be studying the data in the mandatory monthly reports of each scooter operator to determine whether issuing more licenses would be of benefit. If Transportation Department staff find that the average number of daily trips per unit suggests demand for more vehicles than are now on the streets, more licenses may be issued. In the meantime, the department will be providing regular updates to City Council and Mayor Steve Adler.