NYC to expand e-scooter program, with scooters coming to Queens next year

An e-scooter sharing program started in the Bronx nearly two years ago is set to expand into eastern Queens in 2024, a city Transportation Department spokesman said.

DOT commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement that he considered the Bronx scooter program a success.

“I am thrilled that our e-scooter sharing program is here to stay and that it will expand to eastern Queens,” Rodriguez said. “Our pilot program met and exceeded our ambitious goals — and it’s time we make it available in more neighborhoods.”

More than 115,400 scooter rental accounts have been created since the launch of the program in the Bronx in the summer of 2021, according to DOT data, and the department has recorded over two million rides in that time.

Advocates have touted the electric-powered scooters as an important stop-gap measure in neighborhoods with limited access to public transportation.

While the DOT had yet to determine the exact boundaries for the scooter program’s expansion to Queens, department spokesman Vin Barone said it would cover some 20 square miles from Flushing and Auburndale in the north to Rochdale Village and Springfield Gardens in the south, providing access to some 600,000 residents.

The exact boundaries of will be determined with community feedback, Barone said.

As in the Bronx, three firms will operate the scooter rentals in Queens: Bird, Lime, and Veo.

The scooters will have the same safety provisions, including a built-in 15 mph speed limiter and a 10 mph “beginner mode” for first time users.

Queens riders will also be eligible for the same discounts as Bronxites. Any New Yorker who is eligible for federal state or local assistance programs will also be able to rent e-scooters at a discounted rate.