If you haven’t noticed yet, scooters are popping up everywhere- 2,500 to be exact.
The city granted permits to 10 companies (Bird, Bolt, grüv, JUMP, Lime, Lyft, Sherpa, Spin, VeoRide and Wheels) to deploy 250 scooters each during the test pilot program over the next 4 months.
These e-scooters are smaller than bicycles, and not nearly as fast, but could make a big impact on the city’s transportation system. They are more flexible than the city’s current Divvy system, using a dockless transportation system.
Currently, the program confines these scooters to a 50-square-mile zone on Chicago’s west side, Unfortunately, this means that some of the city’s busiest areas, including the Loop and lakefront neighborhoods (including Lakeview), fall outside the program’s boundaries.
After the October 15 end date, the city will evaluate the program to determine whether to permit these e-scooters on a more permanent basis and if so, to what degree the city will expand access. Fingers crossed Lakeview!