The Austin Transportation Department is recommending a 15-cent per-trip fee for every ride on a shared dockless scooter, bicycle or moped to help pay for staff to regulate and monitor them.
The Austin City Council authorized a fee of 40 cents per use, but ATD says it worked with dockless vehicle operators to determine a rate that is “both reasonable and practical.”
Companies already pay a $30 fee every six months for each vehicle they operate in Austin.
In May, city council approved incorporating the rules for scooters into the city’s transportation code, meaning they became regulated like bikes. Now, ATD is updating rules that govern these dockless vehicles.
The department is looking at designing zones and boundaries that will spread the vehicles throughout the city. Eight companies are licensed to operate in downtown Austin, though you might find a bike or scooter in additional zones elsewhere.
ATD wants to expand the definition of “dockless” to include all the different modes of mobile transportation and plans to limit the number of devices released onto one city block. According to a city memo, the changes would be made early next year.
