Press Release City of Santa Monica

Santa Monica Selects Bird, Jump, Lime and Lyft for Shared Mobility Pilot

The program launching September 17th expands Santa Monica’s vision of a multi-modal city

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Today, the City of Santa Monica announced the selection of Lime, Bird, Lyft and Jump as the four operators to participate in the City’s Shared Mobility Pilot Program set to kick off on September 17, 2018. This pilot program builds upon the City’s existing Breeze Bike Share system, and expands Santa Monica’s commitment to be a truly multi-modal community that offers residents and visitors a variety of sustainable and convenient transportation options.

The Santa Monica City Council directed staff to create the pilot program in June 2018, including the selection of up to four shared electric mobility device operators. Each of the four selected operators will begin the pilot with an initial allocation of 750 devices each, totaling 1,000 e-bikes and 2,000 e-scooters.

Following the launch, the number of devices each operator is authorized to deploy may increase or decrease based on utilization and performance. The e-scooters and e-bikes will complement Santa Monica’s existing network of human-powered Breeze bikes. Operated by CycleHop, Breeze launched in November 2015 as the first bike share in Southern California, and now boasts a fleet of 500 bikes at 86 stations throughout the community.\

The pilot program has been designed to collaboratively and flexibly develop an effective model to regulate these new shared transportation options to ensure compliance with applicable laws while promoting health and safety. It is part of the City Council’s strategic goal to promote a multi-modal city, and pairs with the Council’s adoption of innovative Vision Zero approaches to ensure public safety and work to eliminate roadway collisions.

“The selected companies bring a wide range of local, national and international experience that will contribute to a comprehensive and informative pilot program,” said Director of Planning and Community Development David Martin. “The City looks forward to working closely with each of these operators to identify innovative solutions that help create a viable, well-operated long-term shared mobility program in Santa Monica.”

The selection, detailed in a memorandum, comes after a thorough de novo review of the applications by the Planning Director, and factors in selection committee recommendations, public comment and submitted application materials.

Both the selection committee and Planning Director reviewed applications based on seven criteria, including experience, operations, ability to launch, education strategies, compliance record, financial viability and safety compliance.

For more information about Santa Monica’s shared mobility program or the selection process, visit www.smgov.net/sharedmobility.

More Information

Planning Director Memo >
FAQs >
One Sheet on the Shared Mobility Pilot Program >

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