Projects

WheelShare: Spokane’s Shared Mobility Program

WheelShare is the City of Spokane's permanent shared mobility program that allows electric-assist bikes and electric scooters to be checked out and used for a small fee throughout the city.

2024 Update and Relaunch

The City Council voted 5-2 on June 3, 2024, to approve a two-year contract with Lime as the e-scooter and e-bike vendor. Lime was the recommended vendor by a team representing the Mayor's Office, City Council, Public Works, Planning and Economic Development after a request for proposals was issued. The previous contract with Lime ended in 2023.

New features from the previous contract include:

• Increased emphasis on proper parking
• Phasing in camera-based sidewalk-riding detection technology to help reduce conflicts with pedestrians
• Improved river retrieval process that requires recovery within 24 hours and also includes a back-up contractor to be paid by Lime
• Equity requirements for underserved areas, including distributing at least 10 percent of the fleet there
• Testing out a limited number of seated scooters that have proven popular in other cities

Read more about the relaunch.

Map of WheelShare Trips in Spokane

Rules to Roll

The program includes some basic rules of operation that were approved by City Council and designed to allow the program to operate smoothly and safely. Here’s what users need to know:

• Know your Location. Bike and scooter users need to ride in the street or in the bike lanes in the downtown core to avoid conflict with pedestrians on the sidewalks. See the map below. Outside of downtown on streets with speed limits higher than 30, scooters should be ridden on the sidewalk.
  
• Watch your Speed. Bike and scooter speed limits are 15 mph on the Centennial Trail, and 7 mph within Riverfront Park. Scooter speed will automatically be regulated down to about 7 mph in Riverfront Park.
• Ride Safely. Helmets are encouraged for all WheelShare users. And, users are asked to be considerate riders and watch for conflicts with other users of the streets, sidewalks, and trails. Helmets will be available at various locations in the City. Please contact Lime for more information.

Background

Following positive outcomes and response during a shared mobility pilot program in Fall 2018, the City allowed shared mobility to become a more permanent program. Feedback from the pilot gave City Staff information about what worked great, and what improvements would allow shared mobility to function well.

During the pilot in fall 2018, the Lime bikes and scooters were used throughout the City. Over 148,000 rides were taken, with the majority (over 108,000) of these trips on electric scooters. Many citizens provided feedback through an online survey during the pilot period, including those who used the system and those who did not. In all, 3,476 responses were collected during the pilot, with 64% of these being people who used the bikes and/or scooters and 36% who did not. When asked whether they thought shared mobility was good for Spokane; 95% of users and 59% of non-users felt it was. More information about the survey and recommendations for Spokane can be found in a consultant report.