Transit and Micromobility (2021)

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76 Agency–Micromobility Partnership Approaches Transit agencies engage with micromobility providers in a variety of ways, ranging from direct subsidy of operation to informal relationships in which agencies and private operators collabo- rate without any exchange of funds or risk. As the micromobility marketplace continues to take shape, new types of collaboration between cities, transit agencies, and private operators are emerging to align mobility goals, sensibly regulate, and more effectively provide transit access. City and transit agency partnership roles may depend on market characteristics such as regional population, demographics, and transit ridership, as well as transit characteristics such as mode or system size. In urban areas with bike- and scooter-supportive infrastructure and large and willing customer bases, private operators are eager to deploy. In this case, city DOTs take a regulatory approach, and transit agency partnerships focus on coordination with the city to ensure station-area parking organization and rebalancing. In smaller markets, where the demand for shared micromobility is lower, either cities or transit agencies might lead with a partnership approach aimed at incentivizing private operators to launch in their region. But in some markets, especially in areas with static or declining population, private vendors may not be clamoring to enter the marketplace as they are in larger or more affluent metro areas. Still, cities and transit agencies in these areas might decide that micromobility has worthwhile public potential and seek to attract and actively shape the service in ways that are useful for their particular needs. Dayton, OH, Kansas City, MO, and Pittsburgh, PA, described in the following, provide examples of smaller-market agencies partnering with or funding private operators to drive the creation of micromobility systems with strong ties to transit service. Engagement between public agencies and micromobility providers falls along a spectrum of public/private partnership arrangements, from direct agency operation of micromobility services to more laissez-faire/private-sector–dependent collaborations in which agencies have little or no control over the private operator’s activities. This chapter provides summaries of how transit agencies of various types are working to ensure desired policy outcomes in partner- ships throughout this spectrum. Transit Agency–Led Operation or Integration of Services Some transit agencies have taken the lead by creating their own market incentives or inte- grating micromobility operations into their transit systems. Partnerships with the greatest level of agency control employ a vendor’s vehicles and technology platform, but almost all aspects of ongoing operations, including customer support, rebalancing, charging, and other fleet maintenance activities, remain the responsibility of the public agency or a closely allied nonprofit. C H A P T E R 5

Agency–Micromobility Partnership Approaches 77   RTA seems to have gone further than any other U.S. agency in its level of operational involvement, but a number of transit agencies in cities large and small have worked closely with micromobility vendors to create systems that are effectively extensions of the transit system and are clearly marketed as such to the public. RTA – Dayton, OH In 2019, RTA partnered with e-scooter sharing operator Spin to provide service in the city of Dayton. The unique partnership involves Spin providing the e-scooters and digital platform, while RTA is responsible for the daily pickups, charging, and drop-offs of the scooters. This allows for the agency to be fully responsive to any issues concerning e-scooter parking or access to transit stops (Metro Magazine 2019). The arrangement evolved from an earlier bikeshare partnership in which the agency was similarly heavily involved. In 2014, seeking to foster an integrated multimodal network complementing fixed-route transit, RTA partnered with the local nonprofit Bike Miami Valley to bring Link Dayton Bikeshare to the region. While operating partnerships between public agencies and local nonprofits are fairly common in bikesharing, the Dayton arrangement was unique in that the transit agency was the owner and operator of the service. RTA procured the bikes and dock equipment and provided day-to-day maintenance, while Bike Miami Valley focused on customer service, marketing, and business management. On top of maintaining the fleet, the RTA also provided bike repair services to the public out of a storefront in the agency’s downtown headquarters. In 2020, the system was to transition to a dockless, lock-to system and would add 100 e-bikes (increasing the fleet size by 50%). In addition to the roughly 2.5 full-time employees it employs to handle maintenance and the bike shop, the agency provided an annual subsidy to the bikeshare system of about $250,000 (APTA 2020). When dockless scooters swept through the country in 2019, RTA applied the same agency- operated-and-maintained model to a partnership with the scooter provider Spin (Skinny Labs/ Spin 2019b)—a model that appears to be unique among transit agencies in the United States. When the city of Dayton was working on authorizing legislation for scooters, RTA worked closely with it to require that any provider permitted to operate in the city must provide a public API and integrate with the city’s chosen mobility app provider (Dayton, Department of Public Works Division of Civil Engineering 2019). KCATA – Kansas City In 2019, KCATA approved an agreement with the local nonprofit BikeWalkKC to operate the city’s hybrid docked/dockless bike and scooter sharing, as well as to brand all devices with RideKC, the transit system’s branding (BikeWalkKC 2019). In addition to the growth of the system with 150 new bikes, the partnership allowed BikeWalkKC to provide combination bike and bus passes that allow unlimited 60-minute bike and local bus rides each month (KCATA 2019). In an example of services marketed as “powered by” a technology provider, RideKC electric devices are marketed with the branding of platform/vehicle vendor Drop Mobility alongside the transit agency’s branding on vehicles, stations, and marketing materials (RideKC Bike 2020). The COMET/Blue Bike SC – Columbia, SC Columbia, SC, a city of about 130,000 residents at the core of a region of less than a million, launched docked bikeshare in fall 2018, with 135 bikes (a mix of conventional and electric) and

78 Transit and Micromobility 18 stations for the program’s first phase. The system was equipped and operated by the Canadian vendor Bewegen Technologies, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina was the system’s title sponsor (Trainor 2018). Soon after launch, the region’s transit agency, the COMET (Central Midlands Transit), a bus-only system that provides about 2.5 million trips per year, entered into a joint partnership with the operator and the city to provide first-/last-mile access to its customers via the bikeshare system (Trainor 2019). Under the partnership, which began operating in late 2019, COMET riders get unlimited 45-minute bikeshare rides on days when they pay a bus fare. After initially linking their transit fare card with the bikeshare system, users unlock bikes electronically via an app or by tapping a card bearing a daily, multiday, or multi-ride transit pass. Alternatively, riders who pay with cash can ask bus drivers for a unique code, akin to a paper transfer, that will unlock bikes for the day (COMET 2020). Despite the lack of chain of custody for bikes checked out by cash riders with a code, the system has not experienced any equipment loss, according to COMET’s executive director (Andoh 2021). The agency used a portion of its FTA 5307 Urbanized Area Formula Grant funds to support the purchase of bikeshare stations and support transit rider access, activities permitted as “associated transit improvements” under the grant. The agency will dedicate up to $250,000 for the purchase of 10 stations in the system and will pay an annual $70,000 for transit rider access (Trainor 2019). Under the joint agreement, the city and COMET co-manage the system and together make management decisions on station siting and overall operations. The city holds the master contract and handles procurement and right-of-way decisions and permitting, while COMET oversees the transit integration; day-to-day operations and maintenance are Bewegen’s responsibility (Andoh 2021). COMET-sponsored stations and kiosks prominently feature the agency’s branding, with additional advertising and marketing materials on buses, stops, and at the system’s main transfer station. Other Agency-Affiliated Operational Arrangements: Metro Bikeshare (LA) and MetroBike (Austin) Several agencies contract with a third-party vendor, separate from the equipment provider, for fleet operations, rather than using their own employees. LA’s Metro Bikeshare, admin- istered by the transit agency, is operated by Bicycle Transit Systems using BCycle equipment (Metro Bike Share 2020). The system has stations and bikes in the city of Los Angeles, North Hollywood, Santa Monica, and other LA County cities. From its start, the system was envisioned as a regional service closely identified with the LA County transit agency rather than with a particular municipality (Freemark 2015; LA Metro 2015). In July 2020, Austin’s Capital Metro entered into an agreement to take over co-management of the city’s existing 500-bike docked bikeshare system under a partnership with the city of Austin and the system’s operator, Bike Share of Austin (Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2020). With support from the agency of up to $2.25 million over 7 years, the system will be administratively folded into the transit agency, rebranded as MetroBike, and incorporated into the transit agency’s app (along with bundled pricing in future phases) as part of a broader technological update to the system; there will also be an addition of 200 e-bikes to the fleet (Gates 2020; Thornton 2020a). Bike Share of Austin will continue to handle daily operations, while the transit agency will take over branding, planning, and programming of the system. The system’s physical assets, which were originally purchased using Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds, will be owned by the city, which will also manage right-of-way as it relates to the system (Ballentine 2020; Thornton 2020b).

Agency–Micromobility Partnership Approaches 79   Subsidizing Specific Ride Types or Creating Connections Several agencies have sought to take advantage of the popularity of micromobility to sub- sidize or provide services at times and places where transit is not available or to create new first-/last-mile options in their operational areas. Sacramento RT – Sacramento, CA As an incentive for passengers to link micromobility with transit, SacRT offered fare-free light-rail trips in December 2019 for anyone who completed a JUMP (shared e-bike) trip within the SacRT service area on the same day. During the program, riders could provide their JUMP receipt to a light-rail fare inspector in lieu of payment. Additionally, the SacRT had nine JUMP charging stations at light-rail stations. This incentive was only in place for a short time, but it provides a model for a market incentive policy to enhance first-/last-mile connectivity with micromobility and could potentially be expanded more broadly (SacRT 2019). SMART – Sonoma and Marin Counties, CA In partnership with SCTA and TAM, Marin County’s SMART is planning to integrate a new dockless bikeshare system into its rail transit system (Fixler 2020; Prado 2018). This $800,000 pilot received funding through the regional MPO, the MTC. The MTC grant does not cover the ongoing operating costs of the system, so SMART sought a sponsor and partner to help defray operator costs. In February 2020, SCTA and TAM approved a multiyear pilot with Gotcha Mobility to provide a hybrid docked/dockless shared pedal-assist e-bike system. The program will offer a fleet of 300 e-bikes near SMART stations along the 45-mile line. Additional pickup/ drop-off locations are planned for popular locations along the rail corridor. Riders will also be able to link their bikeshare accounts to the Bay Area’s Clipper card system, which SMART uses to collect fares. The system will provide bicycles at SMART train stations and key destinations along the rail corridor. The goals are “to increase access to transit, promote active transportation and provide a direct first and last mile to SMART, and to give people another option for travel in Marin County” (Prado 2018). City–Transit Agency Policy Collaboration Another approach is to use policy levers, enforced through local governments’ permitting and regulatory powers, to encourage multiple entities’ desired public outcomes without direct outlay or subsidy of private operators by public agencies. City/transit agency partnerships, with formalized, regular means of communication and shared goals, enable more effective planning. While this is a well-established approach in other areas of mutual city/transit agency interest, fewer examples of this type of collaboration exist in relation to micromobility. Regional Transportation District – Denver In its strategic plan “Denver Moves: Transit,” the City and County of Denver notes that transit agencies share interests with cities concerning micromobility infrastructure and policy (Denver 2019b). The city collaborated with the Regional Transportation District (RTD) to put these shared interests into action in a 2018 micromobility pilot. Denver’s 2018 dockless mobility pilot (covering scooters and e-bikes) built on an existing “transit amenity program” to promote vehicle placement at transit stops and had the explicit

80 Transit and Micromobility goal of encouraging transit use (Denver 2018). The permit states “vehicles are to be readily available at transit and bus stops in the public right-of-way” (i.e., within 25 feet of the stop/station sign, if a designated parking area is not provided) (Denver 2018). Operators were required to rebalance vehicles back to transit and bus stops throughout the day and to reset vehicles to the same locations no later than 7 a.m. daily (NACTO 2018). At the same time, micromobility vehicles must not impede pedestrian access or boarding/departure of transit users. The city’s program was matched by a separate license program by the RTD that provided for painting designated micromobility parking at transit properties in Denver and also at RTD-owned locations elsewhere in its operating area (Figure 32) (Denver 2018; Skilling 2018). Mobility Hubs Transit agencies can also partner with cities to plan, build, and operate a system of mobility hubs. Mobility hubs colocate micromobility and other shared mobility services, community amenities, and electric mobility charging infrastructure (among other features) at rail stations and high-frequency bus stops. Metro Transit – Minneapolis In Minneapolis, Metro Transit is collaborating with the city of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, mobility service providers, and neighborhood organizations to pilot a mobility hub program. The mobility hubs are intended not only to enhance first- and last-mile connections, but also to serve as centers of placemaking for residents to gather and learn about new ways to travel in the city (Gray 2019). More recently, Met Council (the Twin Cities’ metropolitan planning organization and Metro Transit’s governing body) issued a request for proposals (RFP) for mobility hub implementation planning across the Metro Transit operating area, with the goal of aligning the Minneapolis mobility hub efforts with separate approaches in St. Paul and elsewhere in the region. LADOT and LA Metro – Los Angeles LADOT and LA Metro have developed in-depth concepts for mobility hubs throughout the Los Angeles Region (Urban Design Studio 2019). At writing of this report, Metro and LADOT had released an RFP for their Integrated Mobility Hubs project. The project seeks to provide individuals with mobility choices to accommodate seamless trips to and from origins and destinations through mobility hubs at existing Metro rail stations. There is also a focus on Source: RTD Denver. Figure 32. A designated micromobility parking area at an RTD station in Denver.

Agency–Micromobility Partnership Approaches 81   increasing mobility access for low-income individuals and the recipients of government assis- tance. The infrastructure and service components of each mobility hub will vary and be context specific, but partnership between LADOT, Metro, and other transit agencies will be essential for the success of the project (LA Metro 2019c). Toward Full Modal Integration Move 412 and the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective: Micromobility and Mobility Hubs Within a Comprehensive Consortium-Based Approach Pittsburgh placed mobility hubs at the heart of a larger consortium-based approach to provid- ing a multimodal suite of public and private mobility services in a pilot branded Move 412. Led by the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) in collaboration with the Port Authority of Allegheny County (PAAC, the transit agency), Healthy Ride bikeshare, and the city’s parking authority, the program brings together a group of private mobility and IT service providers called the Pittsburgh Mobility Collective (PMC). The PMC, which came together in 2019 in response to a competitive process run by DOMI (Skinny Labs/Spin 2019a), comprises the following private providers and services: • Spin (shared scooters and e-bikes) • Swiftmile (mobility hubs with charging, colocated with transit stops and other mobility services) • Zipcar (station-based carshare) • Waze Carpool (ad-hoc carpooling) • Transit app (integrated multimodal trip planning and payment) • Masabi (transit fare payment) • Ford Mobility (data analytics backend) (Skinny Labs/Spin 2019a; Move 412 2020) A network of 50 mobility hubs will be sited to extend service coverage of the existing transit and docked bikeshare networks. In bringing together a variety of services, along with multi- modal trip planning and payment and physical infrastructure, Move 412 is getting close to a complete MaaS approach. The model creates something of a walled garden, with micromobility operations in the city to be permitted only under this program. Along with Dayton, this provides an example of a public agency–led, intentional path for bringing micromobility into a market that private operators may have been slower to reach on their own (Bliss 2019b). The program is an expression of DOMI’s guiding principles, which state that all the department’s work should be in service of five core aspirations: (1) zero road deaths or serious injuries, (2) access to fresh food within 20 minutes of every home and without the need for a car, (3) short trips are easily and enjoyably achieved without a motor vehicle, (4) all streets and intersections are capable of being intuitively navigated by an adolescent, and (5) the cost of housing plus transportation should not exceed 45% of household income (Move 412 2020).