HomeMy WebLinkAboutMemo - Mail Packet - 10/22/2024 - Memorandum from Rachel Ruhlen re: Fort Collins E-scooter and E-bike Share Program 2024 Annual Report (Spin)FC Moves
200 W Mountain Ave Suite A
Fort Collins, CO 80522
fcgov.com/FCMoves
CC: Aaron Iverson, FC Moves Senior Manager; Cortney Geary, Active Modes Manager; Drew Brooks, PDT Deputy Director
MEMORANDUM
Date: November 04, 2024
To: Mayor and City Councilmembers
From: Rachel Ruhlen, Transportation Planner
Thru: Kelly DiMartino, City Manager
Tyler Marr, Deputy City Manager
Caryn Champine, PDT Service Area Director
Subject: Fort Collins E-scooter and E-bike Share Program 2024 Annual Report
Purpose
The purpose of this memo is to provide background information on the following report analyzing the
second year of the Spin e-scooter and e-bike share program in Fort Collins.
Summary
Shared e-bikes and e-scooters offer ease of use and last-mile mobility, bridge the gap with public
transportation, avoid congestion, and require less space for parking than motor vehicles. In 2021, the City
of Fort Collins in partnership with Colorado State University selected Spin through a competitive Request
for Proposals process to operate e-scooter and e-bike share in Fort Collins on a one-year contract
renewable up to five years. Detailed information about Spin in Fort Collins is posted on the FC Moves
website.
Fort Collins is a national leader in this rapidly evolving industry. As such, City staff believe it is important
to monitor the program closely. Per our contract with Spin, City staff are regularly provided with data
about the service.
The Fort Collins E-scooter and E-bike Share Program 2024 Annual Report is attached.
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E-bike and E-scooter Share
2024 Annual Report
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Contents
Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 6
How E-bike/E-scooter Share Works ........................................................................................... 7
System Changes ........................................................................................................................ 8
Year 3..................................................................................................................................... 8
Year 4..................................................................................................................................... 8
Ridership .................................................................................................................................... 9
Impact on Fort Collins ...............................................................................................................12
Climate Change ........................................................................................................................13
Equity ........................................................................................................................................14
Spin Access...........................................................................................................................14
Spin Adaptive ........................................................................................................................16
Safety .......................................................................................................................................17
Safety incidents .....................................................................................................................17
Safe behavior ........................................................................................................................17
Safe devices ..........................................................................................................................17
Safe routes ............................................................................................................................17
Fire Safety .............................................................................................................................18
Parking .....................................................................................................................................19
Study .....................................................................................................................................19
Countermeasures ..................................................................................................................19
Reporting improperly parked devices .................................................................................19
Spin monitors for improper parking ....................................................................................20
User penalties ....................................................................................................................20
Provide better parking options ............................................................................................20
Revised parking regulations ...............................................................................................22
Educate riders on proper parking .......................................................................................22
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................24
Successes .............................................................................................................................24
Focus areas moving forward .................................................................................................24
Equity .................................................................................................................................24
Ridership............................................................................................................................24
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24-26989
40% of riders are
CSU undergrads,
20% of riders are
CSU grad students,
faculty, and sta
40% of riders are
not a liated with CSU
E-bike and E-scooter Share 2024 Annual Report
24,048
riders
27.5
metric tons of CO2
emissions avoided
276,076
miles
61,602
car trips replaced
Spin provided
adaptive
vehicles
for requests
80
Spin filled requests for City and
CSU demos and tours with
bikes/scooters121
111 income qualified
residents took over
discounted trips
with Spin Access2,500
Spin donated
hours for
City and CSU
events and tours
63
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Executive Summary
Fort Collins has a long history of bike share starting with the homegrown Bike Library, one of
several early bike share systems that gave rise to modern dockless bike and scooter share. As
the industry skyrocketed and entered new markets, it has continued to thrive and evolve in Fort
Collins, providing alternatives to motor vehicle trips and a transportation option welcomed by
those with few alternatives. In 2021, the City of Fort Collins and Colorado State University
(CSU) selected Spin through a competitive Request for Proposals process to operate e-scooter
and e-bike share in Fort Collins on a one-year contract renewable up to five years. Spin began
operating in Fort Collins in July 2021. This is the third annual report on the Spin program, for
July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024.
As the shared micromobility industry has matured, companies have merged or disappeared. In
line with this trend, Spin merged with Bird in September 2023 and Bird/Spin restructured
through Chapter 11 bankruptcy (December 2023 – March 2024). Today, only three companies
offer dockless shared micromobility in the nation: Bird/Spin, Lime, and Veo.
During the third year of Spin operating in Fort
Collins:
• Riders took 184,184 trips, traveled 276,076 miles
on Spin devices, replaced an estimated 61,602
car trips, and avoided 27.5 metric tons of CO2
emissions.
• Ride Report’s Shared Mobility Index for Fort
Collins is 3.75 trips per day per 1,000 population, 18th in the nation of Ride Report
customers.
• Spin’s program in Fort Collins is their eleventh largest for number of trips in the
nation, and the largest program in a mid-size city.
• Spin supplied 121 vehicles for demos and tours and donated 63 hours for events
and 7 CSU tours.
• 111 income qualified residents took over 2,500 trips through Spin Access.
• Spin filled 80 requests for adaptive trikes.
• Spin relocated 435 devices in response to complaints.
• 32 bike/scooter boxes were installed with incentivized parking.
Dockless e-bike/e-scooter share is a flexible, climate-friendly travel option with no worry about
theft for the user. Challenges this year include changes brought about by the Bird/Spin merger
and subsequent bankruptcy, through which the Fort Collins Spin program continued to operate
without disruption, increasing cost, and declining ridership. Spin continues to be a positive
member of our community, known for responsiveness, willingness to adapt, and reliability.
How is the Spin program doing?
Ridership
Community Partners
Equity
Climate Impact
Safety
Parking
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How E-bike/E-scooter Share Works
Dockless e-bike/e-scooter share offers more flexibility than a station-based system, in which
riders pick up and return their e-bike/e-scooter at stations. Spin deploys e-bikes and e-scooters
to approximately 250 locations within the CSU campus and the City of Fort Collins and adjusts
the balance in response to demand. Riders start the ride where the device is located and end
the ride at their destination, where another rider can use the device.
Spin e-bikes and e-scooters can be rented through the Spin app or the Lyft app. Riders must
agree to the terms and conditions and review the safety information.
Spin relies on geofencing to program the speed, operation, or warning sounds on devices in no-
ride zones, no-park zones, and slow zones.
In no-ride zones, the motor shuts off and an alarm sounds. The device can still be pedaled or
rolled manually. No-ride zones for both e-scooters and e-bikes include Old Town Square, the
Shops at Foothills, and dismount zones on the CSU campus. Paved trails (except Mason Trail)
are no-ride zones for e-scooters, which are prohibited from paved trails by Fort Collins Traffic
Code §2101.
Outside the Spin service area and in no-park zones, riders cannot end their ride. The ride
continues up to 3 hours at full price or until the device is moved within the service area
boundary and properly ended. The service area boundary is the city boundary but smoothed
out.
In slow zones, the maximum speed the device will go is 8 mph.
City staff have access to aggregate ridership and device data through Ride Report. Spin staff
provide monthly reports of additional data and as requested by staff. A public dashboard with a
subset of this data is publicly available at https://public.ridereport.com/fortcollins.
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E-bike and E-scooter Share: How it Works
Geofencing is:
• Automatic GPS location
• Controls speed, operation, or warning sounds
• Slow zones, no ride zones, no park zones
and discount zones
To start a ride:
• Download the Spin app
• Use the app to find a bike or scooter
• Scan the QR code
• Review the safety information
• Start your ride
To end a ride:
• Tap “End Ride”
• Submit a photo of the parked bike/scooter
What it costs:
• $1 to unlock, 40 cents per minute
• Save with passes
• People with low income enroll in Spin Access
for 50 cent unlock and 10 cents per minute
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System Changes
Year 3 and Year 4 saw changes to the contract to adjust the system to best suit the City’s needs
in the changing shared micromobility environment.
Year 3
Changes to the contract for Year 3 included:
• Defining fleet size
• Revising fleet size
• Updating reporting requirements.
Most communities require a maximum and/or minimum number of vehicles in the system. In the
original contract, Fort Collins and CSU specified a fleet size of 500 e-scooters and 400 e-bikes
but did not define fleet size or whether the size was a maximum or a minimum. Furthermore,
this ratio of e-scooters and e-bikes did not align with the industry standard of about 1 ride per
mean available vehicle per day, with e-scooters ridden on average 1.8 times per day and e-
bikes 0.6. Therefore, in year 3 fleet size was defined as the number of e-bikes and e-scooters
deployed, whether available for rent, unavailable for rent, or currently rented, maximum (400 e-
bikes and 500 e-scooters) and minimum (200 e-bikes and 200 e-scooters) fleet sizes were
established, and the fleet ratio was set at 40% e-bikes.
Year 4
Changes to the contract for Year 4 include clarifications and trade-offs for a system that better
meets the City’s needs:
• Clarification of insurance requirements
• Updated data sharing, eliminating requirements that were not useful and adding
data that Spin has voluntarily been providing
• A higher fleet maximum for events such as football games, Tour de Fat, Open
Streets, etc.
• Fleet ratio of 30% e-bikes, to achieve the industry standard of 1 ride per mean
available vehicle per day
• Increased rental rate with discount and free zones
• Waived the $10 per vehicle permitting fee
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Ridership
The Fort Collins Spin program continues to outperform previous bike- and scooter-share
services in Fort Collins; however, ridership has declined. The most important factors predicting
ridership are cost and weather. Spin increased its rate from 30 cents to 33 cents per minute,
and with the changes to the industry, particularly the decreased reliance on venture capital to
support and the need for fees to cover operating costs, the rate is increasing again in Year 4.
The City, CSU, and Spin are considering approaches to make Spin appealing and affordable to
regular riders while still covering operating costs, such as monthly and 30-minute passes, and
designating discount and free zones (a ride that starts in a zone is discounted or free,
regardless of where the ride ends).
A report from the Transportation Research and Education Center 1 found that cities often charge
shared micromobility via sales tax and program fees, resulting in higher charges than most
other modes of transportation including driving and ride-hailing. A white paper published by a
coalition of shared micromobility providers recommended reasonable, transparent fees
consistent with fees paid by similar modes2. High fees are at odds with cities’ goals for climate,
active modes, equity, and Vision Zero. Historically, station-based bikeshare systems are often
subsidized while dockless bike/scooter share systems are taxed. In Fort Collins, station-based
shared micromobility was subsidized in the past while dockless shared micromobility has not
been subsidized and is subject to both taxes and fees.
As the industry has evolved from reliance on venture capital, it must be self-sustaining and
cover operating costs, including taxes and fees, with revenue from rides. The rate increase from
33 cent/minute rate to 40 cent/minute in Year 4 will result in further ridership decrease.
Reducing taxes and fees and/or subsidizing the program will bolster ridership and align the
costs with the City’s goals.
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 2 vs Year 3 Trend
Number of riders
Number of trips
Number of miles
Ride Report Index
During Spin’s third year, Spin shifted from a minimum required number of e-bikes and e-
scooters to a maximum fleet size of 900 devices and a minimum fleet ratio of 40% e-bikes. E-
scooters are very popular; they were used for 76% of the trips. Distance doesn’t appear to affect
which device users choose: the average trip length was 1 mile for both e-scooter and e-bike
1 Taxing Shared Micromobility: Assessing The Global Landscape Of Fees And Taxes And Their Implications For
Cities, Riders, And Operators, J. MacArthur et al, 2024. https://trec.pdx.edu/research/project/1610
2 North America Micromobility Industry Best Practices, May 2023. https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=00000188-
1113-d7f3-a5f9-53fbc1620003
3 Because of the merger with Bird mid-year, the number of unique riders could not be directly calculated for Year 3
and are estimated based on data from 2/1/24 – 6/30/24.
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trips. While most trips were less than 2 miles, 5,321 trips (2.7%) were more than five miles long.
The price structure and deployment of shared micromobility caters to short trips within a 15-
minute ride and first/last mile connections and are intended not to compete with rental bikes
from bike shops that typically have a minimum rental period of multiple hours and must be
picked up and returned to the shop.
Figure 1. Daily ridership by year
Trip patterns during Year 3 were similar to those seen during Years 1 and 2 with the greatest
concentration of trips on CSU campus, Old Town, and neighborhoods surrounding campus. The
intensity of trips on CSU campus highlights the importance of CSU as a partner in the e-bike/e-
scooter share program. The efficiency of shared devices in a crowded environment and the high
rates of bike theft make college campuses ideal markets for e-bike/e-scooter share. Without
2. Numbers of trips by distance during Year 3
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CSU, the market might not be able to support e-bike/e-scooter share. The presence of the CSU
market base allows all of Fort Collins to have access to the program.
Figure 3. Heat map of trips during Year 3
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Impact on Fort Collins
The presence of the Spin program promotes the image of Fort Collins as a modern bicycle-
friendly community that embraces technology. Spin e-bikes and e-scooters are attractive
options for visitors to Fort Collins who may not have their own car or wish to use it for every trip.
Peak ridership days include Tour de Fat and CSU Homecoming.
Spin’s support of the community enables people who may not have a bike of their own to
participate in events. Spin supports move-in tours for CSU students and is a regular presence at
community events such as Bike to Work (or Wherever) Day, Open Streets, CSU’s We Ride, and
CSU’s Bike to Breakfast events. Spin hosts demos with employers and other groups.
Spin provided 121 devices for tours and demos, donated 63 staff hours for tours and events,
and supported seven CSU tours. Spin donated ride credits to support the Shift Your Ride –
University Park program (a new neighborhood-focused program this year). Spin donates ride
credits as incentives for riders to take surveys, safety and parking quizzes, and to end rides in
designated parking areas.
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Climate Change
Big Move 4 in Our Climate Future is “Convenient transportation choices: It is safe, easy, fast
and affordable to get around without a car.” E-bike and e-scooter share offers a convenient
alternative to cars.
Spin calculates emissions avoided each month based on the month’s ridership. A survey of Spin
riders in Fort Collins found that 34% use Spin devices to replace car trips. Since the program
launched in July 2021, 89 metric tons CO2 emissions have been avoided. In addition to the
direct emissions reduction, riders report purchasing their own e-bike, e-scooter, or adaptive trike
after trying out one of Spin’s, which may have further greenhouse gas reductions.
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Equity
Fort Collins commits to equity in its most significant plans. One of the strategic objectives in Fort
Collins’ 2024 Strategic Plan is “Identify and remove systemic barriers and advance equity so
that persons of all identities, including race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender
identity, gender expression, age, mental and physical abilities, and socioeconomic levels can
access programs and services with ease and experience equitable outcomes.”. A key tenant of
the Vision of Fort Collins City Plan is Community, which includes a commitment to equity. Big
Move 1 in Our Climate Future addresses equity and calls for sliding scales based on income
and equity in programs. A core principle of the Transportation Master Plan is “Utilize the
transportation system to support a healthy and equitable community”.
As a form of public transportation, e-bike and e-scooter share allow people to move around
without a car, without fear of theft, and without the need to store, maintain, and charge or fuel a
personal vehicle. Residents regularly contact FC Moves asking for more information about Spin
because they need transportation and do not have other options.
Spin has two programs that promote equity, Spin Access and Spin Adaptive, which provide
options for people with low income (Spin Access) or with disabilities (Spin Adaptive).
Spin Access
Spin Access provides a
discount for people with low
income, a text option for
people without a
smartphone, and a cash
option for people without a
credit/debit card or Google
Pay.
Spin Access use increased
by 29% between Year 1
(2,155 trips) and Year 2
(2,790 trips) but decreased
6% in Year 3 (2,626 trips).
Figure 4. Number of trips taken by riders enrolled in Spin Access
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
Number Spin Access Trips
2021-22 2022-23 2023-24
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The City launched GetFoCo in 2023, a one-stop portal for income-qualified residents to access
services. In March, Spin Access was integrated into GetFoCo, making it easier for people to
enroll. City, CSU, and Spin staff worked together to communicate the benefit and simplify the
enrollment process. Enrollment in Spin Access jumped from 71 in Year 1 to 406 in Year 2 and is
now over 900. However, the number of trips taken by riders enrolled in Spin Access has not
increased proportionally to enrollment (Figure 6).
Spin Access riders were surveyed to determine why many people enrolled but did not take a trip
and what could be done to reduce barriers 4. The primary barriers were downloading and using
the app and the lack of available vehicles. Another barrier observed is that people who request
the Spin Access discount must create a Spin account to receive the discount.
To address the barriers related to having an account and using the app, FC Moves staff worked
with City Give and other stakeholders to refine how Spin Access is described in GetFoCo
(emphasizing the importance of downloading the Spin app and creating an account), and
developed and translated a User Guide5 and a welcome email. Spin staff had already been
sending a welcome email; more people responded to a welcome email that came from the City
of Fort Collins.
FC Moves and Spin staff developed a system with these steps:
• City Give and FC Moves staff provide a weekly list of people who have requested
the Spin Access discount via GetFoCo
• Spin checks the list for Spin accounts and activates the Spin Access discount on
those accounts
• FC Moves staff send a welcome letter describing how to use the Spin Access
discount
• FC Moves staff send an email to those who do not have a Spin account reminding
them to create a Spin account so that the Spin Access discount can be activated
• One week later, Spin checks the list a second time and actives the Spin Access
discount on any new accounts
With this system, 14% of people who request the Spin Access discount have already created a
Spin account, and after receiving the welcome email and a reminder to create a Spin account,
an additional 11% also create a Spin account, resulting in 25% of those who request the Spin
Access discount with the discount activated on their account. This still leaves 75% of those who
requested the discount who do not have a Spin account and therefore do not have the discount
activated, but it is a substantial improvement in the number of Spin accounts with the Spin
Access discount.
4 Spin Access Survey Summary, https://www.fcgov.com/fcmoves/files/2023-spin-access-
survey.pdf?1706197645
5 Spin Access User Guide, https://www.fcgov.com/fcmoves/files/spin-access-user-guide.pdf?1709829300
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To overcome the barrier of no vehicles where they are needed, staff are exploring installing
bike/scooter boxes in affordable housing communities, in partnership with the property
managers.
During Year 1, Spin Cash cards were only available at the Spin warehouse (409 Delozier Drive,
Unit B) which is not easily accessible. During Year 2, Spin Cash cards were also available at the
FC Moves office at 200 W Mountain Ave, but by appointment only. FC Moves staff explored
other options such as libraries, recreation centers and bus stations, which were determined not
to be feasible for selling Cash cards. Since the merger with Bird, Spin no longer offers Cash
cards, and the cash option is difficult to access. Spin is continuing to work on this issue and in
the meantime works directly with riders who need this option with free text-to-unlock.
Spin Adaptive
In Year 3, Spin fulfilled 80 requests for trikes (Figure 7). This is more than the number of
adaptive vehicle requests fulfilled for Atlanta, Davis, Phoenix, and San Francisco combined!
A regular customer of Spin Adaptive is the City of Fort Collins Adaptive Recreation
Opportunities (ARO) program which offers ride series for people with disabilities. Spin provided
adaptive trikes for 18 ARO community rides in Summer 2024.
In addition to Spin Access and Spin Adaptive, FC Moves staff are reaching out to mobile home
and affordable housing communities to install bike/scooter boxes for deployment and preferred
parking, so that people in these communities will have bikes and scooters available.
Figure 5. Trikes in the adaptive library fleet: hand trike (left), upright trike (middle), recumbent
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Safety
A core principle of the Transportation Master Plan is “Support and enhance safety for all
modes”. In 2023, Fort Collins adopted the Vision Zero Action Plan with a goal of zero traffic
fatalities and serious injuries by 2032. People using e-bikes and e-scooters are vulnerable road
users and are at increased risk of death or serious injury in a crash.
Safety incidents
Safety incidents may be reported to Spin, FC Moves, and through police reports. Crashes
involving people walking and biking are known to be underreported, and that is likely to be true
for crashes involving people using e-scooters as well. The North Front Range Metropolitan
Planning Organization developed a Bike & Ped Safety Reporter tool which includes an option
for people riding an e-scooter to report incidents. No incidents or concerns involving e-scooters
have been reported through that tool.
Spin received 1 safety incident report during Year 3, compared to 5 in Year 2 and 7 in Year 1.
This incident was reported by a neighbor who found a fallen e-scooter and evidence of injury
near a paving stone sidewalk.
Safe behavior
Spin devices are speed-governed for safety. Geofencing determines the maximum speed:
• E-bikes are governed to 20 mph on roads and 15 mph on paved trails.
• E-scooters are governed to 15 mph on roads.
• E-bikes and e-scooters are governed to 8 mph in slow zones.
In addition to speed governing, Spin promotes safe behavior of people using its e-bikes and e-
scooters encouraging riders to ride in the bike lane or street, stay clear of large or turning
vehicles, and use hand signals through in-app and on-device messaging and in-person events.
Riders can earn $5 ride credit by passing the “Safe Six” quiz.
Safe devices
Spin ensures safe devices by examining each device when it is deployed and making repairs.
Spin received an estimated 137 repair/maintenance requests during Year 3 (compared to 217
during Year 2 and 196 during Year 1). The decline in repair/maintenance requests may be due
to users becoming more familiar with the app or how to unlock/lock bikes.
Safe routes
The greatest impact on e-bike and e-scooter safety is safe routes. The Active Modes Plan
adopted in 2022 calls for a safe and connected network for bicyclists and pedestrians. This plan
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is the first in Fort Collins to address micromobility (such as e-scooters), and it identifies the need
for a safe and connected network for these modes. E-scooters can generally be accommodated
by the same networks designed for bicycling and do not require a separate network, but if they
are introduced to existing facilities (such as paved trails), conflict points may indicate a need for
improvements. The impending update of the Strategic Trails Plan is an important opportunity to
address how to provide a safe network for e-scooters, which are currently prohibited from paved
trails. Concurrent with outreach for the Strategic Trails Plan, FC Moves is exploring updates to
the code and strategies to manage issues with the “Which Wheels Go Where?” project.
Fire Safety
News reports about e-bike battery fires have raised concerns, but incidents are due to batteries
that do not have safety certifications, were modified, or used improperly. Spin has always
practiced safe battery handling and uses UL-certified batteries, a widely established and
regarded battery safety standard. When Spin began operating in Fort Collins, Poudre Fire
Authority inspected the warehouse and had no concerns. Batteries in the charging array are
stored in crates with separated compartments. Batteries that sustain damage or are not working
are packed in fire retardant in a metal drum until disposal.
Figure 6. Batteries in the charging array (left) and packed in flame retardant for disposal (right)
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Parking
Parking is perhaps the most controversial issue for shared e-bikes and e-scooters. Riders do
not always have good options where to end their ride and park the devices. Sometimes they
make poor choices, even when there are good options available. Residents are not used to
seeing these devices unattended after a ride has ended and are confused about the difference
between Spin devices and personally owned devices. The devices may also be tempting to a
portion of the population to push over, push into a place where it is an obstacle, or vandalize.
To address improper parking, protect sidewalks, reduce complaints, and keep paths clear for
people with disabilities, FC Moves staff have worked with Spin to develop, implement, and
evaluate countermeasures.
Study
FC Moves collected photos and observations on 408 Spin bikes and scooters during Fall 2022
and 97 vehicles one year later to assess the impact of parking countermeasures and found a
12% reduction in parked vehicles that were a barrier after implementing countermeasures
compared to before6.
Countermeasures
The parking countermeasures developed using data from the study were:
• Make it easier to report improperly parked devices to Spin
• Spin actively monitor for improperly parked devices
• Streamline user penalties for improper parking
• Provide better parking options
• Revise parking regulations
• Educate riders on proper parking
• Spin monitor and report on parking metrics
Reporting improperly parked devices
Spin can be contacted by email, via the app, or calling customer service. Issues reported to FC
Moves or Access Fort Collins are forwarded to the local Spin team. FC Moves staff trained
Parks and Transfort operators on reporting improperly parked devices.
6 “Shared E-bikes and E-scooters: A Study of Barriers Created by Shared E-bike and E-scooter Parking
and the Effects of Countermeasures to Address Barriers”, https://www.fcgov.com/fcmoves/files/shared-
ebike-escooter-barriers-study.pdf?1709665329
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Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Relocation requests
Warnings from requests
*Not reported
Spin monitors for improper parking
Because 57% of relocation requests in Year 3 were for vehicles that were not improperly
parked, relocation requests alone are insufficient to monitor for improper parking. Spin drivers
routinely report improper parking when they pick up and deploy vehicles. Spin issued 294
warnings from driver reports in Year 3. Spin-initiated warnings were 61% of the 480 total
warnings, with 39% of warnings due to improper parking detected as a result of a relocation
request.
User penalties
Riders who are non-compliant for parking or other infractions may receive penalties:
• 1st offense – warning. 480 issued during Year 3.
• 2nd offense – 1-day suspension. 1 issued during Year 3.
• 3rd offense – permanent suspension (can be appealed; minimum 15-day
suspension). 5 issued during Year 3.
When Spin receives a relocation request or Spin drivers identify an improperly parked device,
the last rider may receive a penalty. A small percentage of improperly parked devices identified
do not result in a penalty because the end-of-ride photo submitted shows that the rider parked
properly, but the device was moved by someone else. However, after reviewing the photo, most
improperly parked devices are determined to be parking noncompliance from the last rider, who
then receives a penalty. Less than 1% of riders who receive a warning go on to receive a
penalty for a 2nd or 3rd offense.
Provide better parking options
Providing better parking options should improve parking behavior. In the 2022 survey of riders,
respondents said better parking options (41%) and designated parking areas (39%) would help
them park better, even more than incentives (36%) or disincentives (7%). Other communities
including Denver and Boulder have installed bike/scooter boxes to manage parking.
To select where bike/scooter boxes could be placed, FC Moves staff identified hot spots where
trip ends cluster using Ride Report trip end data and the ArcGIS hot spot tool. Locations were
also identified in response to requests for bike/scooter boxes. These hot spots and locations
were prioritized by cross referencing with junctions of bikeways and areas with an equity
component. A field survey identified exact locations. Temporary “FC MOVES IS IN YOUR
NEIGHBORHOOD” signs containing flyers with more information alerted residents where
bike/scooter boxes were being considered. When FC Moves received objections or concerns
about a proposed location (primarily due to losing an illegal parking space), that location was
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removed from the list. While this
approach minimizes conflict, it
may result in some areas being
underserved.
FC Moves and Traffic Operations
installed 14 bike/scooter boxes in
Year 3, and 18 more in August
2024, and Larimer County
installed one at the jail (Figure 8).
Bike/scooter boxes on streets
were placed within 30 feet of stop
signs or within 20 feet of entry
from the intersection where
parking is not permitted, to
prevent illegal parking and protect the visibility of the intersection. Riders receive $1 toward their
next ride if they end their ride in a bike/scooter box and riders are actively using the bike/scooter
boxes. Over 1,000 trips ended in a bike/scooter box in Year 3 (Table 1). The bike/scooter boxes
have received attention, including two articles in the Coloradoan (June 30, 2023 and March 18,
2024) and a story on K99 radio (June 27, 2023).
Table 1. Number of trips ending in bike/scooter boxes
Marked incentivized bike/scooter box # Trip ends in Year 3
Jackson at Mulberry (City Park) 213
Harper Goff Alley (Exchange) 151
Skyline at Orchard 113
Sheldon at Oak (City Park) 107
Pitkin at Riverside 88
Baystone at City Park 86
Pitkin at Welch 50
Irish at Vine 45
Larimer County Jail 36
Avery Park 31
North College at Bike Co-op (sidewalk) 28
Jamith at Laporte 20
Spring Canyon Park 16
Jerome near Vine (neighborhood path) 10
Remington near Parker 8
Total 1002
Figure 7. A bike/scooter box on Pitkin Street near Welsh Street
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Revised parking regulations
While collecting data on parked devices, staff noted that there was no legal spot nearby for 75%
of the devices observed. The ordinance that regulates shared mobility parking was very
restrictive and difficult to understand. In August 2023, City Council changed the ordinance so
that parking of shared mobility devices follows the same rules as personally owned bikes and e-
bikes.
Educate riders on proper parking
With the change in parking regulations, FC Moves created a quiz so riders can learn how to
park appropriately, avoid penalties, and receive a $5 ride credit if they get a perfect score (6/6)7.
Spin actively promoted the quiz in August and September 2023. As of June 30, 2024, the
survey had been attempted 1,381 times and 298 riders received a perfect score and a $5 ride
credit.
7 The quiz is available at https://forms.gle/WFhBVFBjrGHnm5ke9
Figure 8. Locations of bike/scooter boxes installed as of August 3, 2024
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Figure 9. In the quiz, riders choose the best option of two parked Spin devices. Riders
must get all six questions correct to receive the $5 ride incentive.
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Conclusion
Successes
Successes during Year 3 were in equity and parking.
• Equity - Spin Access enrollment more than doubled.
• Parking - Extensive measures were taken to address concerns about improper
parking.
Focus areas moving forward
Focus areas moving forward are equity and ridership, while continuing to monitor and educate
riders about appropriate parking.
Equity
Despite the increase in Spin Access enrollment and Spin accounts with the Spin Access
discount activated, Spin Access trips did not increase, and have declined concurrent with the
overall decline in Spin ridership.
GetFoCo recently added Pell Grant as an eligibility option, increasing the number of students
who can use Spin Access. FC Moves staff will continue promoting Spin Access via GetFoCo
and CSU will promote it to students and staff.
Spin designated free zones in mobile home and affordable housing communities, where all trips
that begin in a free zone are free for up to 30 minutes, regardless of whether the rider is enrolled
in Spin Access. Staff will promote the free zones and monitor the number of trips that begin in
free zones. Staff will work with Spin to ensure that vehicles are deployed to free zones regularly.
Ridership
Ridership is influenced primarily by cost. Prices increased and ridership declined in Year 3 as
the industry transitioned to self-supporting operations. CSU campus recently was designated a
discount zone, where rides are $1 to unlock and 30 cents per minute (instead of 40 cents per
minute). This has already had a promising effect on ridership. Monthly and 30-minute passes
reduce costs for regular riders. Staff, CSU, and Spin are promoting these money-saving options
to Spin riders. Staff are exploring sales tax exemption and public subsidies to further reduce the
cost of the service and increase ridership.
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