Commencing today, the streets of the capital will see the introduction of brand new electric scooters available for rent. These scooters will be free for residents. The initial deployment will consist of one hundred units by the first awarded company, Ridedott, which will gradually increase to 646 authorized vehicles over the next two weeks.
Evelyn Alonso, the Councilor for Mobility of the Santa Cruz City Council, stated, “Following the introduction of 100 scooters this week, an additional 300 will be deployed from April 29 onwards, with the remaining 246 set to join by the week of May 6 as part of this initial phase by the first company.”
Earlier last month, the City Council granted the operation of this service to two companies, Tier Mobility and Ridedott. This means that Santa Cruz will have a total of 1,292 Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) available for the scooter rental service. Both companies have a three-month window to include at least 50% of the planned fleet.
Regarding the pricing, users will need to pay one euro for unlocking the vehicle, with each minute being charged at 0.23 euros. Local residents will enjoy free scooter usage upon verification of their residency details. The process for verifying registrations is still under consideration by the company. Additionally, bonuses will be offered to frequent users, defined as those who use the service for more than 100 minutes per week. These initial two weeks will serve as a trial period for these adjustments.
The company will initiate promotional activities to encourage sustainable and safe urban mobility, including providing helmets for users and supporting events by lending vehicles. In case of level 3 air quality alerts, reduced rates or free unlocking will be implemented to promote eco-friendly transportation.
The councilor highlighted the distribution of the 1,292 units across the five districts and the allocated parking spaces. Anaga will have nine spaces for 48 scooters, Centro-Ifara will have 63 spaces and 448 scooters, Ofra-Costa Sur will have 43 spaces and 172 PMVs, Salud-La Salle will have 67 spaces and 392 scooters, and the Southwest district will have 58 spaces for 232 PMVs. Each company will pay a fee of 20,000 euros for utilising the public domain, along with a 50 euros guarantee deposit per scooter.
Bermúdez: “Users Must Adhere to Mobility Regulations”
Santa Cruz Mayor, José Manuel Bermúdez, emphasised that “the companies offering scooter rental services must adhere to the regulations set for personal mobility vehicles to ensure a high-quality service for users, prevent issues of overexploitation or improper use of public spaces, and avoid inconveniencing citizens. In return, citizens must follow traffic regulations and the guidelines outlined in the Mobility ordinance”.
Councilor Evelyn Alonso added, “With the final approval of the Mobility ordinance and the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS), Santa Cruz now has regulations that aim to balance the coexistence of new personal transportation methods—which are here to stay—with a city design that favours pedestrians and prioritises environmental sustainability.”
