Patrick Hayes

August 15, 2019 10:24 PM

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Earlier this year, e-scooters hit the Duke City streets and continue to grow in popularity.



“We have recently added a couple more drop zones,” said Brennon Williams, the City of Albuquerque’s interim planning director.



"Obviously that shows scooters are being ridden and that the ridership and interest in using them is there as well,” he added.



Williams said the new drop zones include the Uptown and Winrock areas.



Meanwhile, Zagster, one of two companies in charge of the e-scooters, told KOB 4 it was extending the e-scooters’ cutoff time by two hours.



“We currently have a cutoff time of 9 p.m., which was changed towards the start of June. Our data shows us that we see a spike in ridership from 7 to 8 p.m.,” a spokesperson said.



Additionally, Spin, the other company in charge of the e-scooters, increased the price per minute from 15 cents a minute to 25 cents per minute.



A spokesperson from Spin sent KOB 4 the following statement:



“Our price is $1 to unlock a scooter and .25 per minute in Albuquerque. This change began in early summer. It isn’t specific to Albuquerque, in fact, our price per minute varies from city to city based on what makes the most sense for that market. We want to ensure all of our riders have a safe and enjoyable experience. As we learn more about a market, those prices can change.”



Meantime, a contract with the e-scooter company Zagster could help net the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.



According to the contract, the city receives $1 for every e-scooter used per day. It can also charge Zagster for failing to remove damaged or improperly parked e-scooters.



The city says it currently plans on billing the company $58,613 for the first quarter.



When asked where that money goes, Williams said, "It goes back into the general fund so it's used for all sorts of city operations and city functions.



“But it is an extra you know $200,000 a year that the city wasn't collecting before because we hadn't had a scooter company and we hadn't had an agreement to work with a scooter company to pay us as these folks are doing,” he added.