Electric scooters return to Providence

ELECTRIC SCOOTERS, similar to those seen in Providence earlier this year, shown above, have returned to the city through a different operator, Spin Inc. Bird Rides Inc. no longer operates scooters in the city. / PBN FILE PHOTO/CHRIS BERGENHEIM

PROVIDENCE – Electric scooters, rentable for public use, began reappearing in Providence on Monday.

Spin Inc., a subsidiary of Ford Motor Co., began dropping off its scooters in parts of downtown. Students and others could be seen whizzing away on scooters while others were parked at the intersection of Weybosset and Empire streets near Johnson & Wales University.

“You’ll see these scooters on the corners of Providence, from the East Side, down to the West Side, north, downtown, and the South Side,” Alyssa Gergel, Providence operations manager for Spin, told WJAR-NBC News 10 in Providence.

Another electric-scooter company, VeoRide Inc., was planning to launch its service in Providence either this week or in early November, said Andrew Miles, a VeoRide regional manager.

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VeoRide and Spin have been permitted by the city to operate 300 scooters each.

The two scooter operators follow the departure of two others, Bird Rides Inc. and Neutron Holdings Inc., doing business as Lime.

Lime and Bird started operating in Providence last year, but the city didn’t renew Bird’s annual permit and Lime opted not to accept a renewal, according to Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza’s office.

Meanwhile, Uber Technologies Inc. is retooling its JUMP electric-bike service for Providence after the service was suspended in August due to vandalism and theft of the bikes, among other complaints. JUMP had been operating several hundred bikes in Providence.

“The programs will resume in the near future after JUMP produces a lock design that ensures all riders can utilize the program safely and responsibly,” the mayor’s office said.

Scott Blake is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Blake@PBN.com.

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