Scooters get the boot: San Jose phasing out old e
City transportation officials made the switch to Spin scooters Sept. 1, as they slowly phase out Bird's remaining fleet of about 200 scooters. Micromobility devices like e-bikes, skateboards and scooters were controversial when they first sprang up in downtown with little-to-no notice after 2018, but regulations and cooperation from the major scooter operators over the years helped the technology become a part of everyday life.
Spin , a company recently acquired by Bird, is preparing to roll out its orange e-scooters in mid-November, according to the city.
"It's not just that the scooters have been sitting around longer and people are now OK with it — the city has made a ton of intentional decisions around planning not only how the scooter operators interact with the public, but also from an infrastructure side as well," Craig Kometani-Dittmann, the city's shared micro mobility program manager, told San José Spotlight.
When he stepped into the new transportation role, Kometani-Dittmann said his main goal was making sure San Jose had the best deal possible with scooter operators that are in line with the city's broader multimodal transportation goals.
Monica Mallon, a transit advocate and San José Spotlight columnist , was a student at San Jose State University when countless e-scooters swarmed the campus. She said use of the scooters has become more safe.
"Since 2018 and 2019, regulations have come a long way," Mallon told San José Spotlight. "I've also seen people buying their own scooters and bringing them on transit like VTA or Caltrain. In really congested areas you'd be faster than driving or taking transit."
Launched during the pandemicSpin was among the companies who released fleets of devices downtown after the COVID-19 pandemic. The scooters have been available for use since 2022. Kometani-Dittmann said the city had the chance to engage with the Spin fleet manager on community outreach and equity programs .
This led to a city partnership, as well as the company offering a Spin Access equity program for low-income users.
Transportation department spokesperson Colin Heyne said eligible residents will be able to rent Spin vehicles for seven cents per minute — an 85% discount. These individuals will need to email the company with their paystubs or proof of participation in a federal assistance program.
Veterans, seniors and students can take advantage of a 50% discount.
"Over the past six years, (e-scooters) have just become a normal part of our urban fabric," Heyne told San José Spotlight. "So it's important that we keep this service available per our role as the permitting agency. I'm excited to see a new, returned operator come back to San Jose."
Spin will also continue offering a $9.99 commuter pass that gives riders 90 minutes of e-scooter use per week Monday through Friday, which incentivizes riders to make the devices a part of their daily commute.
Bound by the rules of the roadE-scooters have road rules just like other vehicles. Users must have a driver's license or instruction permit to operate an e-scooter, according to city policy . Riders must stay off the sidewalk and use bike lanes when available. E-scooter riders are supposed to yield to people walking on the sidewalk or crossing the street.
Residents in downtown often use e-scooters for "last mile" connecting trips, Kometani-Dittmann said, and they're filling the need for the approximately 500,000 rides taken in San Jose per year.
"There are definitely enough rides to prove the concept that this is not just a pilot program, but this is a part of our community that we need to be incorporating into our larger planning," he told San José Spotlight.
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