Electric rental scooters have been zipping around Tulsa for several months, and now there’s data showing just how much they’re being used.
INCOG Transportation Planning Director Viplav Putta said better weather has meant spikes in ridership, especially when the temperature gets above 60 degrees.
"You are able to see more than 2,000 trips on a given day sometimes. And it’s been consistent. It’s been consistently held from November through February," Putta said.
While total rides have been hundreds or thousands per day, Lime has proved more popular than competing scooter company Bird. The best ridership day for Lime last month was Feb. 2, a 64-degree Saturday with more than 2,800 scooter trips.
Downtown has been the main area of scooter activity, followed by around the University of Tulsa and the Gathering Place. Trips are typically less than 1.5 miles.
"It costs you nearly $5 to $6 a trip, but you’re going a short distance. So, the inference out of that is that it is recreational, for the most part," Putta said.
According to INCOG's analysis of data obtained through counters and provided by Lime and Bird, 1 to 2 percent of trips could be tied to commuting. Putta said the scooters can fill a need for people to travel the first or last mile of their commute, like getting from home to a bus or from a bus stop to work.
All told, there were nearly 49,000 trips on Lime scooters in a mild November, their first full month of operation.
"I think these are here to stay, it appears, so far. Many users have adopted, so obviously cities have to make some room for the safe usage of it," Putta said.
Putta said scooter riders need to keep safety in mind and should wear bright clothing and be aware of traffic and rules of the road.
