MILWAUKEE — Scooters are back! The City of Milwaukee is relaunching its dockless rental scooter pilot program.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Department of Public Works (DPW) will be joined Friday afternoon by representatives from three scooter companies at Zillman Park for the first ride of the season.
In June, the Milwaukee Common Council approved a proposal to allow a third dockless scooter pilot study, which started after July 1. The 2022-23 pilot allows for a maximum of 1,800 scooters citywide and for a broader dispersal of scooters, meaning fewer scooters downtown.
Dockless scooters were legalized in 2019 in Wisconsin. Milwaukee allowed them in 2019 and 2021 under a temporary pilot program.
The three companies allowed to operate scooters in the city - Bird, Lime and Spin - counted 481,706 trips from June through mid-November last year, according to our partners at the Milwaukee Business Journal. More than 350,000 total rides were generated in 2019. That number would have likely been higher but the city limited the use of scooters in the downtown area in August of 2021. This was because 30% of riders were illegally driving them on the sidewalk.
According to DPW, the maximum speed for dockless scooters is 15 miles per hour, and riding on the sidewalk is prohibited, as well as parking on the Riverwalk.
Read the city's news release on the program below:
