City councilor looks to bring back scooter rideshare programs to Albuquerque
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Could on-the-street electric rental scooters make a comeback in Albuquerque? After they disappeared during the pandemic, a city councilor is now looking to change the rules in hopes of bringing back those businesses, she said, have been priced out.
“It became very cost-prohibitive to do business for any of these companies in our city,” said City Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn.
Just a few years ago, bright orange scooters could be found on a lot of Albuquerque street corners, but after COVID hit, the city’s been without a bike or scooter share program for years. Now, Councilor Fiebelkorn is hoping to entice companies to bring business back.
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“[It] makes the fees reasonable, so hopefully, we’ll have a company, or two, or three that are interested in starting up again here in Albuquerque,” Councilor Fiebelkorn explained.
She’s proposing the city lower fees for scooter and bike share businesses. When comparing Albuquerque’s costs to Colorado Springs, businesses operating there spend around $40,000 per year for 500 scooters and 50 stations. In Albuquerque, however, the cost is more than $150,000 for the same number of scooters.
“That is substantially more money, and I’ve spoken to a couple of the companies that offer these services and it’s cost prohibitive,” Councilor Fiebelkorn added. “They’re not coming to Albuquerque with that cost structure.”
Fiebelkorn wants the city to reduce those fees and also cut the cost of permitting, saying she’s heard from businesses who say the city’s fees are keeping them away.
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“We want to make sure we’re being compensated for the use of that, but not at a level that makes it impossible to have those services for our citizens,” said Councilor Fiebelkorn.
However, Councilor Fiebelkorn also wants a few more requirements for those potential businesses. That includes a cap of no more than 1,000 scooters or e-bikes, a geo-fenced area where businesses can’t operate outside of and requiring rental companies to have a local presence maintaining the business.
