Title
Approving the agreement with Bird to provide e-scooter sharing services for 2019. (Laid over from April 24 and May 1) (To be withdrawn)
Body
WHEREAS, Mayor Carter’s Administration and the City of Saint Paul value innovation, resilience, and equity, including in transportation options; and
WHEREAS, electric-assist scooters ("e-scooters") are an emerging new mobility option that has proven very popular in other cities across the U.S. and internationally for moving around town using a low-carbon mobility option; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul created a four month e-scooter sharing pilot program in 2018 to gather information about levels of use, for what purposes, appropriate parking locations, and more; and
WHEREAS, the City has determined that the e-scooters served an important and valuable transportation service for Saint Paul residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to continue to permit e-scooters to operate on city property in 2019 by entering into agreements with up to four e-scooter vendors to operate a total of 2,000 e-scooters; and
WHEREAS, the City is introducing new requirements for the 2019 season limiting the number of e-scooters permitted in the downtown area while requiring a minimum percent of the e-scooter fleet be distributed throughout Areas of Concentrated Poverty; and
WHEREAS, per Chapter 141 of the Legislative Code regulating Shared Transportation Systems, vendors are required to have a contract with the City to operate, and that contract must be approved by City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City solicited applications from e-scooter vendors to provide e-scooter sharing services for the 2019 season; and
WHEREAS the city received an application from Bird to provide e-scooter sharing services and they are willing to comply with City ordinances regarding Shared Transportation Systems; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby approves the attached agreement between the City and Bird to provide e-scooter sharing services for the 2019 season.