ALBANY — It is another two-wheeled project by the Capital District Transportation Authority and this time it has an electric motor.
CDTA introduced Scoot to us on July 13 with live rides around its parking lot on Watervliet Avenue Extension.
“We are all about moving people,” sai Carm Basile, Chief Executive Officer for the Capital District Transportation Authority. “We are always looking for fun and innovative ways to get that done. And this is an example of that thinking.”
The program will begin with pop up events across the region and eventually settle in zones within the urban areas of the Capital District. The goal will expand with increased ridership.
“We think this will be very popular,” he said. “It will expand with rider demand.”
The scooters will be similar to the CDPHP Cycle program in that there is a charge to ride and all transactions take place within an app on the user’s mobile phone. The rider pays an unlocking fee and a per-minute charge to ride.
Safety is a priority for the success of the program. Operators must be 18 years or older. CDTA says you should always wear a helmet and only one rider per scooter.
The scooters are picked up and unlocked at a scoot rack and must be returned to a rack. Riders must follow traffic laws including yielding to pedestrians, stopping at all red lights and stop signs. Scooters travel in the road and in the direction of traffic. Each scooter is equipped with a grip bell to signal others.
Scoot will operate from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. from rack locations across the area. Specifics on where to find the racks will be updated on the program’s website scootcdta.com.
