Bird, Lime, Veo E-Scooters Will Double Footprint In NYC Pilot: DOT

NEW YORK CITY — Bird, Lime and Veo soon will double their combined e-scooter fleets in The Bronx, officials said.

The city's electric scooter ride-share pilot has a green light to expand to its second phase, transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced Tuesday.

Rodriguez and officials said the number of available scooters will go from 3,000 to 6,000 and move further south.

“This expansion will serve important first- and last-mile trips for commuters accessing the NYC Ferry and 6 train in the eastern section of the Bronx," Rodriguez said in a statement.

The program began last year in the eastern Bronx as officials mulled whether to allow rentable e-scooters share space on the city's busy streets.

Such scooters have become a popular, but often divisive, offering in cities like Los Angeles and Detroit. Companies tout them as a way to cut down on traffic and carbon consumption, but many residents in other cities have become frustrated with them being strewn on street corners.

New York City's program so far has been a success, at least safety-wise — riders in The Bronx took more than 500,000 trips on e-scooters without serious injuries, officials said.

This second phase will include Parkchester, Castle Hill, Country Club and Throggs, officials said.