Surprise to begin e-scooter, e-bike pilot program next month

PHOENIX — Another Phoenix suburb will soon have e-scooters and e-bikes zipping around town.

Surprise has signed on for a pilot program with the devices from Nov. 1 to April 28, the city announced Monday.

The vehicles will be limited to “entertainment, densely populated areas” and prohibited from city parks, sidewalks and residences. They must be ridden on streets or in bike lanes.

There will be a maximum of 100 vehicles deployed at one time, and their hours of operation will be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Shared Active Transportation Vehicles (SATV), commonly known as e-scooters or e-bikes, are coming to Surprise! Learn more about the SATV Pilot Program and how you can share your input beginning November 1: https://t.co/Mdx5Zx9MYQ pic.twitter.com/mgTwB0gTSA

— City of Surprise (@AZSurprise) October 8, 2019

E-bicycles will not be allowed to exceed 20 mph, while the scooters won’t be allowed to go over 12 mph.

The community will be asked to give feedback online during the trial run.

Vendors, which in other cities have included Bird, Lime, Spin and Jump, are required to obtain a permit in Surprise before dropping off vehicles.

Phoenix recently began a 6-month pilot program to determine if e-scooters work for it as a sustainable transportation option.

Tempe and Scottsdale have adopted regulations specific to the vehicles this year, while some cities — Glendale and Peoria — have pulled the plug on them altogether.

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