The City of Dallas has reintroduced shared dockless micromobility vehicles after halting their use three years ago.
Dockless bikes and rental e-scooters were initially introduced in Dallas in 2018 but were removed in 2020, with city officials citing safety concerns.
Now, the city has officially relaunched a shared e-bike and e-scooter programme along with updated safety requirements.
Micromobility operators, Bird, Lime and Superpedestrian have been selected to offer the new dockless vehicle service in Dallas for the next year.
They are currently each permitted to launch 500 vehicles but will be provided with opportunities to incrementally increase this number if they meet targets for ridership and complaint statistics.
The new programme requires all e-scooters and e-bikes to be restricted to speeds of up to 20 miles per hour across the city. They also must each be equipped with front and rear lights.
To further enhance safety, first-time users are now required to take a knowledge test on the city’s laws for riding, which includes a ban on sidewalk riding, tandem riding and riding under the influence of alcohol. Some of the rental companies will also require riders to take a reaction time test to detect drunk riding.
In addition, riders will now have to submit a photo to end their trip to show that they have correctly parked their vehicle. Incorrectly parking a scooter will result in a 20 USD fine. Meanwhile, violations such as riding the wrong way on a one-way street can result in a fine of up to 200 USD.
To ensure the new vehicles are evenly dispersed, no more than 25% of them will be deployed in the Central Zone, including Downtown, Uptown, and Deep Ellum. To meet the needs of residents, at least 15% must be deployed in Equity Opportunity Zones across the city.
All of the dockless vehicles must be parked on sidewalks wider than eight feet or in designated parking racks.
It is hoped that these clear regulations will ensure the return of dockless micromobility vehicles in Dallas safely enhances the city’s transportation network.
