1,500 E-Scooters Cruise Into Tucson Next Week

TUCSON, AZ – Fifteen hundred “e-scooters” (electronic scooters) will be hitting Tucson streets come Thursday, Sept. 12, as part of a six-month City of Tucson trial pilot program. The move follows the trend of cities offering shared, rentable electronic scooters to residents and visitors as an accessible, convenient and affordable transportation mode. As the six months transpire, City officials will evaluate the program to find out how and if the scooters are meeting the Tucson community’s needs and achieving program goals.

The e-scooters program aims to support tourism, local businesses and the city’s economy, while providing last- and first-mile alternatives to those riding public transportation. The program will also be observed on its ability to cut down the number of vehicle trips with single occupancy, while providing a low-cost mobility choice.

Residents wanting to rent a shared e-scooter can locate and unlock one by using a smartphone app from one of the two vendors each providing 750 e-scooters, Bird and Razor. The shared e-scooters can also be found and unlocked by calling a vendor’s customer service phone number or accessing a vendor’s website. The e-scooters will be ridden on city streets and in bike lanes, but sidewalk riding is prohibited. When it’s time to park, riders don’t have to find a docking station. The scooters can be parked anywhere a bicycle can.

Any Tucson area residents and visitors who want to take an e-scooter test drive are invited to do so from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 4 at a prelaunch demonstration event at the southeast corner of the Seventh Street and Sixth Avenue intersection. The event is hosted by the City of Tucson, Razor and Bird. Free helmets, free rides and informational materials will be available at the event, the City of Tucson reports.