A one-year pilot program for an electric scooter share program is expected to launch in Fort Collins and on the Colorado State University campus the week of Oct. 14.

The city and university are finalizing a contract with a single e-scooter company, city transportation planner Amanda Mansfield told a meeting of River District businesses last week.

Once the contract with the unidentified vendor is finalized, the program will begin with two weeks of education and outreach followed by the on-street scooter launch the second week of October.

Mansfield declined to name the company or say how much it will pay Fort Collins until the deal is finalized.

The company plans to scatter 250 e-scooters throughout Fort Collins and 250 at CSU in dense, highly trafficked areas likely to support high ridership, she said.

"They will be located at specified transit stops and stations in an attempt to fill transit's first- or last-mile gap," Mansfield said.

Riders typically rent a scooter through a smartphone app. Cost will be $1 to start the ride and 25 to 30 cents each minute after that. The average e-scooter trip is roughly 1.5 miles and less than 10 minutes, Mansfield said. Scooters can be left anywhere and company workers will gather them up and get them back to central locations by 4 a.m. every day.

Scooters will be allowed on city streets from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. in summer and 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. in winter, when days are shorter. "We are trying to accommodate students and commuters ... but we don't want people scooting while intoxicated," Mansfield said. "That is why we are not extending hours."

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Fort Collins and CSU have been working on scooter ordinances for several months to ensure they are consistent with state law that allows the devices on sidewalks and roads and comply with local traffic codes that treat scooters the same as bicycles and electric bicycles with some exceptions.

Electric scooters won't be allowed on natural area and park trails, must be dismounted at crosswalks and will be subject to stricter parking requirements. For example, they can't be parked on sidewalks in areas where they might get in the way of pedestrians or block bus benches, fire hydrants or building entrances.

GPS technology in the scooters will alert riders if they are nearing a dismount zone. If the rider ignores the alert, the scooter will slowly come to a stop, Mansfield said.

Dismount zones include Old Town and parts of CSU, but the Downtown Development Authority wants to include Linden Street within the River District, The Exchange on North College and Uncommon apartments into the zone.

City staff is reviewing the request and will make a recommendation based on its findings, Mansfield said.

Riders will not be required to wear helmets, although the city encourages them and the company plans to give away 3,000 free helmets, Mansfield said.

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Distribution will occur from the get-go, at outreach and education events and workshops, she said. Any member can request a free helmet and have it sent to them at any time for the cost of shipping and handling.

Rentable electric scooters have made headlines in Colorado during the last few years because of scuffles between cities and scooter companies that have at times dropped in unannounced. The city's goal with its ordinances and the pilot program was to get ahead of the trend before it arrives to avoid potential conflicts, FC Moves manager Paul Sizemore has said.

The chosen scooter company will have to sweep the city for scooters daily and use an automated communication system to notify customers when they're parking them incorrectly. The city will collect and analyze data on usage from the company to help craft a longer-term electric scooter share program.

Mansfield said the e-scooters Fort Collins will launch are rugged with a low center of gravity and wider riding deck with lights in front, back and on the sides of the riding deck.

The company will release a new model to Fort Collins early next year that will have larger, puncture-proof, higher-traction tires, she said.

From USA TODAY:Electric scooters: Love or hate them? Here's what you need to know

Coloradoan reporter Jacy Marmaduke contributed to this report.

Pat Ferrier is a senior reporter covering business, health care and growth issues in Northern Colorado. Please support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by subscribing: See Coloradoan.com/subscribe to learn how.