For the last 12 months, the city of Bryan has been in negotiations to start a pilot project involving electric scooters.

After reaching two agreements that were later cancelled, deputy city manager Joey Dunn says San Antonio-based Blue Duck will be the first to deploy scooters.

Dunn says Blue Duck will be available 24/7 because the company hires its employees instead of using contract labor to handle what will initially be 100 scooters that will be available downtown, at Blinn College, and surrounding areas.

The scooters have technology that limit where they can go. Dunn says the scooters will not be able to operate in College Station or at Texas A and M.

Those who attend the official launch next Thursday morning (November 14) at 11 outside the Carnegie Library will get a free helmet and t-shirt.

Additional information from the city of Bryan:

San Antonio-based Blue Duck Scooters will be flying into town on Nov. 14 as part of a pilot program with the City of Bryan.

Blue Duck will place 100 electric scooters in Downtown Bryan, at Blinn College and in surrounding areas to help enhance local mobility in the area. Rides will cost $1 to activate the scooter and $0.25 per minute to operate. The scooters will be geofenced to operate only within designated areas in Bryan.

In January, the Bryan City Council authorized staff to investigate implementing scooters as a form of shared mobility in the city. Staff chose to work with Blue Duck Scooters for the pilot program due to the company’s ability to restrict scooter usage to certain areas, its commitment to safety and its practice of hiring local employees to maintain the scooter fleet.

Blue Duck staff will place the scooters in strategic areas throughout Bryan each morning at approximately 7 a.m. and collect them each evening at approximately 10 p.m. to recharge and perform any needed maintenance. The city’s agreement with Blue Duck also stipulates the company will respond quickly to relocate inappropriately placed scooters when reported.

More information about Bryan’s scooter pilot program is available at bryantx.gov/scooters.

Launch event

The public is invited to the official launch of the scooters at 11 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019. Representatives from Blue Duck and the City of Bryan will be on hand to demonstrate how to operate the scooters.

Blue Duck will also give away free helmets and t-shirts to those in attendance. Following the launch event, electric scooters will be deployed in Bryan’s service area and available for use.

Safety

Scooter riders must be at least 18 years old and should:

• Observe the same laws as motor vehicle drivers.

• Ride on roads that are under 35 miles per hour, and stay in bike lanes, on the street or on shared-use paths. Please do not ride on sidewalks.

• Ride alone on scooters. Only one person is allowed per scooter.

• Wear a helmet. The city encourages everyone to wear a helmet while riding, and people who are under 21 must, by law, wear one. Blue Duck Scooters is providing free helmets to those who request one.

• Park in preferred parking areas, or “landing zones,” which are established in areas where it is safe to park scooters after riding. Riders should never block ADA ramps or sidewalks with a parked scooter.