On Thursday, July 14th the City of Altoona will consider an ordinance to allow electric bicycle and scooter rental within the City of Altoona.
The ordinance would allow rental companies to operate within the City of Altoona after executing a contract with the City. The contract would address general operations of electric bicycles and scooters, including maintenance requirements, speed limits, age restrictions, availability, reporting, safety, parking restrictions, insurance requirements and rental of any city-controlled property.
The City has been approached by Robyn Scooters, a privately owned company based in Eau Claire, regarding renting scooters in Altoona. The proposed initial pickup location for the scooters is River Prairie Park, but the program may be expanded to accommodate pickup at other locations in Altoona if successful.
All scooters rented will be required to be returned to designated locations in Altoona or Eau Claire and may not be left in places that are not designated. The equipment will be maintained and charged by the
owner of the company. According to Carolyn Miller, owner of Robyn Scooters, having designated pickup
and drop off locations will prevent some of the problems other cities have experienced with scooters
and bicycles being left in random places for independent contractors to retrieve and charge.
People interested in providing input regarding the proposed ordinance are invited to attend the City Council meeting at 6 PM on Thursday at Altoona City Hall, 1303 Lynn Avenue, Altoona.
