E-Scooter Company To Build Docking Stations As Building Amenities
Electric scooters have taken D.C. and other cities by storm over the last year, and now one company is looking to position them as an amenity for commercial property owners.
D.C. is one of two cities where scooter company Spin and charging station startup Swiftmile plan to roll out a 60-day pilot to install electric scooter docking stations outside of buildings, the Washington Post reports.
Spin Director of Business Development Benjamin Fong told the Post the company plans to build 40 solar-powered docking stations in D.C. this summer and 10 in the other pilot city, Ann Arbor, Michigan. The company is looking to partner with owners of apartment buildings, office buildings, retailers and universities, he said.
"The value is that this is a way of driving traffic to these locations, and it's an amenity for building residents and employees because it will help people get around," Fong told the Post.
D.C.'s city-run Capital Bikeshare program includes docking stations that many property owners view as an amenity to have in front of their buildings. Private companies in 2017 began rolling out dockless bicycles that users could rent and park anywhere, and that wave was followed by the dockless scooter movement.
Several companies have rolled out dockless e-scooters in D.C., such as Uber-owned Jump, Lyft, Skip, Bird, Lime and others. But the Spin initiative represents the first e-scooter product to be operated with charging docks through partnerships with property owners.
