Hoboken to be 1st New Jersey city to launch electric scooter program
HOBOKEN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Hoboken passed an ordinance Wednesday night to allow the city to become the first in New Jersey to launch an electric scooter program.
With the authorization, Hoboken will enter into a six-month pilot program with two companies, Lime and P3GM (operator of JerseyBike), that will provide electric scooters for rental by residents and visitors.
"I am thrilled Hoboken is leading the way for the rest of the state to implement an additional mode of green transportation," Mayor Ravi Bhalla said. "Electric scooters will help residents easily travel around our city, reduce congestion on our roadways, and improve access to transit stations and business districts. This is another way Hoboken is leading the way in implementing environmentally responsible transportation initiatives."
Hoboken will roll out the implementation of the electric scooter pilot program with Lime and P3GM in the coming weeks, with an official launch of the program in early next month.
The pilot will allow residents to utilize the two variations of electric scooters, with Lime operating dockless Lime-S scooters and P3GM operating Ojo scooters that will utilize the JerseyBike bike share stations for docking.
The council will vote to officially authorize P3GM via resolution at the April 17 City Council meeting.
The ordinance that was passed Wednesday night on second reading authorizes electric scooters with a speed of up to 20 miles per hour to utilize bike lanes in the city.
Electric scooters will not be permitted to ride on sidewalks.
Other cities that have implemented electric scooter sharing programs have received positive feedback from participants.
After a four-month electric scooter sharing pilot last summer and fall in Portland, Oregon, 62 percent of residents viewed e-scooters positively at the end of the pilot. Additionally, 71 percent reported they most frequently use e-scooters to get to a destination, 42 percent utilized scooters ahead of bikes, and 48 percent of visitors took an e-scooter instead of driving a car or using a ride-hailing service.
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