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Denver Gives Right Of Way To Dockless Bike Programs

By Kelly Werthmann

DENVER (CBS4)- Dockless bikes and scooters are coming back to Denver.

They were banned earlier this month, just a week after they rolled out into the city with big fanfare. Denver, however, said the two-wheelers violated city codes.

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Now, Denver Public Works is offering permits to dockless vehicle companies that could result in bikes and scooters back on the streets within weeks. But, there's a catch. Companies will have to actively work to keep the bikes and scooters that end up scattered around the city, near bus stop or transit stations every day.

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"I think this is a reactionary point for them to put regulations around this," Patrick Quintana, General Manager of Ofo, said. "There are some things we aren't super excited about."

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CBS4 Kelly Werthmann interviews Patrick Quintana, General Manager of Ofo (credit: CBS)

Ofo currently has 200 of its dockless bikes available for use on the University of Denver campus. The company is also operating in Aurora, Golden and Lone Tree and was looking forward to expanding into Denver. Quintana said the rule of keeping bikes near transit stops would be a disservice to the community.

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"That's really structuring the program counter to the first, last-mile solution," he said.

Quintana also isn't too thrilled with the hefty one-year permit fees: $15,000 for bikes, another $15,000 for scooters.

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"If you compare this to other programs, it's pretty rich," he said.

Denver Public Works rolled out the pilot permit program Friday afternoon, calling it part of their commitment to embrace and test new and better ways to deploy technology. The program limits the one-year permits to five companies, and each can only have 250 bikes or 400 scooters. An additional 100 bikes would be allowed if the provider agreed to keep them in "opportunity areas" like low-income neighborhoods.

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"So, at most, that's 2,500 bikes for all of Denver," Quintana said. "That's pretty love for the Denver metro area."

In order to expedite the launch of the pilot program for dockless vehicles, Denver Public Works said it is utilizing its current Transit Amenity Program to permit the placement of bikes and scooters at transit stops. That's their way of encouraging people to take public transportation.

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"The intent of the Pilot Program is to enhance the use of transit and bus service throughtout the city," DPW spokesperson Nancy Kuhn said. "Denver Public Works expects operators to 'rebalance' vehicles to transit stops to ensure availability."

Quintana said because of the city's quick approach, the program design is limiting.

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"Imagine if all B-cycles were stationed at a bus stop, RTD stop or light rail stop, but they're not in the communities where people need them," he said. "Imagine how that would impact the ridership."

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Instead, Quintana said he'd like to see Denver Public Works pump the brakes on the program and get more community input.

"I think the community should be hopeful because the way it's structured now, it's not structured to meet its mobility goals," he said of his hope the city is willing to negotiate.

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LINK: Denver Public Works Dockless Pilot Program Overview

Kelly Werthmann joined the CBS4 team as the morning reporter in 2012. After serving as weekend morning anchor, Kelly is now Covering Colorado First for CBS4 News at 10. Connect with Kelly on Facebook or follow her on Twitter @KellyCBS4.

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