The Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA) will be launching its electric scooter pilot program, SCOOT, beginning Oct. 4, 2024. There will be pop-up events in Albany, Troy, Schenectady and Saratoga Springs for New Yorkers to give the scooters a try.
“CDTA is excited to add another option for customers to our growing mobility menu,” said CDTA CEO Carm Basile. “After working to find an operations vendor and updated technology, we’re excited to introduce SCOOT to Capital Region communities. We hope customers take advantage of this pilot program so we can learn what we need to do to formally add scooters to our menu of services and to have scooters readily available to customers in the near future.”
CDTA is working with DROP Mobility to launch updated software, a new website and an updated mobile app. Customers will need to create a membership via the mobile app CDTA SCOOT. Scooters will cost $2 to unlock and $0.25 per minute to ride.
SCOOT will be available in the city of Albany beginning Oct. 4, through Sunday, October 6. Scooters will then be available in the city of Troy from Oct. 11 through the 13. SCOOT will also be available in the city of Schenectady from Oct. 18 through Oct. 20. The city of Saratoga Springs will pilot the scooters from Oct. 25, through Oct. 27. The pilot will include 30 to 40 scooters each weekend and they will be available from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Saturdays and 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays.
Customers must be 18 years old with driver’s license verification to rent an electric scooter. Scooters will only be allowed in a specific geofenced area in each city for safety and efficiency purposes. If a scooter leaves the geofenced area, the motor will shut down and customers will receive a text directing them to return the scooter. Scooters must also remain on roadways, follow traffic laws and they are not permitted on sidewalks in the geofenced areas. When not in use, the scooter must be locked to one of the SCOOT racks. Customers are encouraged to wear helmets when riding.
