NYC E-Scooter Program Threatened Despite High Ridership

Despite the massive popularity of an e-scooter rental program in Queens, New York, city officials are pushing to end the program, writes Gersh Kuntzman in Streetsblog NYC.

“According to Lime, one of three companies operating scooters in eastern Queens, 32,000 customers took nearly 330,000 trips between the June launch and mid-December. And Bird, its competitor, told Streetsblog that its 12,544 unique riders took 132,930 scooter trips, averaging about one mile per trip.” Lime says it provided 1.8 million rides in 2024, while Bird provided oer half a million rides in Queens and the Bronx. And with such a high percentage of trips starting or ending near transit stops, it’s clear that the e-scooter network is becoming a key first-mile/last-mile connectivity tool for residents.

Yet city officials are citing vague “constituent concerns” and “safety hazards” as reasons to eliminate the program. In a statement, a borough council spokesperson wrote, “Since the program’s inception, there have been e-scooters recklessly left on sidewalks and in front of homes, driveways, small businesses, senior centers, places of worship, and other community institutions in Southeast Queens.”