Lyft, which has scooters and e-bikes placed around Denver, says it will stop operating “dockless” ones. (Courtesy Lyft)
One of the two companies allowed to place rentable scooters and e-bikes around Denver says it is ceasing “dockless” operations, although the city is unclear what that means.
San Francisco-based Lyft announced Wednesday that it “will no longer operate standalone dockless bikes and scooters.”
“We are narrowing our product portfolio to focus on our best-in-class bikes and ebikes, scooters, electrified docking stations, and software, to better sell to, serve, and electrify cities … We are discontinuing our dockless scooters in Washington, D.C., and are exploring alternatives for our dockless bikes and scooters in Denver,” the company said in a blog post.
Lyft didn’t detail any possible alternatives, and a company spokesman reached by BusinessDen declined to comment Friday.
In 2021, Denver granted five-year licenses, at no cost, to Lyft and fellow scooter operator Lime, which partners with Uber. The arrangement allows the companies to be the city’s sole providers of shared rentable scooters and e-bikes in Denver.
Nancy Kuhn, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told BusinessDen Thursday that Denver was aware of Lyft’s announcement, but didn’t know much more.
“What that means for Denver has yet to be determined,” Kuhn said in an email. “But given the popularity of micromobility in the Mile High City and our interest in alternative transportation, we’d like to ensure that scooters and e-bikes remain a viable travel option for our residents and visitors.”
“We have not yet had a discussion on next steps with Lyft and will work to minimize impacts to users as we chart a path forward,” Kuhn added.
Lyft operates over 2,900 scooters and nearly 600 e-bikes around town, per the city’s website. Lime has a fleet of 3,700 scooters and 700 e-bikes.
When the city signed the deal, Lyft told Denverite that it was investing $25 million into Denver’s “bike-and-scooter system.” But the timeframe was a concern for some City Council members at the time.
“I have a lot of concerns about tying ourselves to something for five years when the technology is ever-changing,” Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval said at a council committee meeting that year. “I remember nine years ago, B-Cycle was the big thing. We did all this investment, thought it’d be around. Well guess what, it’s not around anymore. We lost a lot of money on it.”
Lyft’s Wednesday announcement indicates the company will continue operating “docked” bikes and scooters, which must be returned to specific sites at the end of a ride, on some level, although it’s not clear if that would be the case in Denver. The abandonment of scooters in spots like the middle of a sidewalk has frustrated some Denverites since multiple companies placed scooters around the city prior to the pandemic.
Lyft, which has scooters and e-bikes placed around Denver, says it will stop operating “dockless” ones. (Courtesy Lyft)
One of the two companies allowed to place rentable scooters and e-bikes around Denver says it is ceasing “dockless” operations, although the city is unclear what that means.
San Francisco-based Lyft announced Wednesday that it “will no longer operate standalone dockless bikes and scooters.”
“We are narrowing our product portfolio to focus on our best-in-class bikes and ebikes, scooters, electrified docking stations, and software, to better sell to, serve, and electrify cities … We are discontinuing our dockless scooters in Washington, D.C., and are exploring alternatives for our dockless bikes and scooters in Denver,” the company said in a blog post.
Lyft didn’t detail any possible alternatives, and a company spokesman reached by BusinessDen declined to comment Friday.
In 2021, Denver granted five-year licenses, at no cost, to Lyft and fellow scooter operator Lime, which partners with Uber. The arrangement allows the companies to be the city’s sole providers of shared rentable scooters and e-bikes in Denver.
Nancy Kuhn, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, told BusinessDen Thursday that Denver was aware of Lyft’s announcement, but didn’t know much more.
“What that means for Denver has yet to be determined,” Kuhn said in an email. “But given the popularity of micromobility in the Mile High City and our interest in alternative transportation, we’d like to ensure that scooters and e-bikes remain a viable travel option for our residents and visitors.”
“We have not yet had a discussion on next steps with Lyft and will work to minimize impacts to users as we chart a path forward,” Kuhn added.
Lyft operates over 2,900 scooters and nearly 600 e-bikes around town, per the city’s website. Lime has a fleet of 3,700 scooters and 700 e-bikes.
When the city signed the deal, Lyft told Denverite that it was investing $25 million into Denver’s “bike-and-scooter system.” But the timeframe was a concern for some City Council members at the time.
“I have a lot of concerns about tying ourselves to something for five years when the technology is ever-changing,” Councilwoman Amanda Sandoval said at a council committee meeting that year. “I remember nine years ago, B-Cycle was the big thing. We did all this investment, thought it’d be around. Well guess what, it’s not around anymore. We lost a lot of money on it.”
Lyft’s Wednesday announcement indicates the company will continue operating “docked” bikes and scooters, which must be returned to specific sites at the end of a ride, on some level, although it’s not clear if that would be the case in Denver. The abandonment of scooters in spots like the middle of a sidewalk has frustrated some Denverites since multiple companies placed scooters around the city prior to the pandemic.
