Bike Sharing Bonanza!

DON’T PARK HERE! While MTS is supportive of more mobility options, parking a dockless bike on a platform is NOT good.

How is MTS Handling Dockless Bikes?

Seemingly overnight in January the streets of San Diego - and many MTS transit centers - were blanketed with dockless bikes and scooters. This new form of mobility has gained the attention of MTS staff – both positive and negative – and the MTS Board of Directors was briefed at the April meeting about options to manage the new trend. We checked in with Sharon Cooney, MTS Chief of Staff on the issue. Here’s what she had to say:

MTS Connections: What is a dockless bike/scooter?

Sharon Cooney: Station-free bicycles and electric scooters are made available for shared use to people on a very short term basis for a price. People can find bike/scooter options, reserve and pay to use, all on an app-based GPS locator.

Connections: Why did it seem like the bikes and scooters all showed up at once?

Cooney: The City of San Diego’s attorney issued a memo in January 2018 stating that the city’s 10-year partnership with DecoBike did not preclude other bike companies from operating within city limits. Shortly thereafter, several bike-sharing companies began disseminating bikes into high population areas including downtown San Diego and the beaches.

Connections: How is MTS handling the influx of dockless bikes?

Cooney: MTS staff has met with most of the bikesharing companies operating in San Diego to get familiar with their operations. It also provides MTS an opportunity to educate the bike companies about our system. Some of the best practices MTS shared include:

• Don’t park or distribute bikes in MTS fare paying zones (station platforms where people board and de-board)
• Don’t flood stations with bikes and scooters
• Inform dockless bike users how to operate bikes in and around transit services – such as not parking bikes near passenger boarding areas.

Connections: Are dockless bikes helping or hurting MTS services?

Cooney: MTS staff sees dockless bikes as a real opportunity for potential first-mile last-mile alternatives for our passengers. Right now it’s about continuing to communicate with the dockless bike companies. We need to ensure that bikes are parked in responsible locations to allow unimpeded access for our passengers to buses and Trolleys.

Connections: Are there any upcoming regulations MTS will impose on dockless bikes and scooters?

Cooney: If needed, MTS staff has the authority to take corrective action under our current ordinances. But the goal isn’t to clamp down on a new mobility option that can possibly generate transit ridership. It’s still an emerging trend. MTS is taking a “wait and see” approach. MTS staff has been analyzing our larger transit centers to identify areas where dockless bike parking “corrals” can work. MTS staff has not started any work yet to create the corrals because it will take a lot of time, energy and resources. We would need to create new signage, update marketing materials, conduct an education campaign for our passengers and more.