E-Scooters, as pictured in the Bronx above, are now available in eastern Queens. Image Credit: CityLaw.
On June 17, 2024, New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced that the e-scooter program is live in Eastern Queens. The program affects approximately 20 square miles, from Flushing and Auburndale to Rochdale Village and Springfield Gardens.
The goal of the program is to provide the Queens community critical connections to major transportation and commercial hubs. The New York City Department of Transportation sourced community feedback by conducting on-street surveying in the proposed service zone and utilized an online feedback portal last year to determine if this program would enhance Eastern Queens transportation.
The commencement of the installation and activation of the e-scooters docking portals and community outreach led by Bird Micro-Electric Mobility, Veo micromobility, and Lime occurred on June 17, 2024. The community outreach involves providing the public information on the e-scooter program and highlighting discount pricing options. New Yorkers who receive or qualify for local, state, or federal assistance programs (SNAP, NYCHA, discounted utility bill) are eligible for discounted e-scooter rates. In the Bronx e-scooter program 2,000 users between August 2021 and December 2023 utilized discounted rates for and took more than 275,000 rides.
To ensure the scooters are accessible to individuals with ambulatory disabilities, all companies must provide wheelchair-accessible scooters available for rental. To ensure the safety of riders New York City Department of Transportation requires new riders complete an app based safety training, quiz, and age verification. A ‘Beginner Mode’ also limits a new rider’s first three trips to be speed-limited at 10 mph and cannot be started during overnight hours.
The Queens e-scooter program is expected to be fully activated by the end of July 2024.
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez stated, “E-scooter share has arrived in Eastern Queens and we are very excited to build upon the successful East Bronx pilot. This expansion delivers a popular, safe, and environmentally sustainable mode of transportation to underserved neighborhoods in Queens.”
Bird Chief Executive Officer Stewart Lyons stated, “Launching in Eastern Queens is an important milestone in providing convenient, environmentally friendly, and reliable transportation options to NYC residents and visitors. We had an incredibly successful pilot in the Bronx and are excited to build on this success with a community-centric operation in Eastern Queens on June 27. We’re enhancing connectivity in NYC by serving as a complement to mass transit, helping the boroughs we serve by offering a green alternative for daily commutes.”
Lime Senior Manager for Government Relations Nicole Yearwood stated, “Lime is thrilled to officially be in Queens and looks forward to providing a safe, sustainable, and affordable way to get around the World’s Borough,” “The success of the Bronx program, with ridership booming and a strong safety record, has shown the potential for shared e-scooters to connect New Yorkers to public transit, to work, to school, and to the city itself.”
By: Chelsea Ramjeawan (Chelsea is the CityLaw intern and a New York Law School student, Class of 2025.)