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In May, we wrote about progress on the proposed American Jobs Plan that includes significant funding for transportation infrastructure. 

Now the bill, with the official title "Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," has been repackaged as an economic plan and budget blueprint that covers social and physical infrastructure. It is getting closer to approval with the ambitious goal of passage by the end of September. Its size is astounding both on paper and in dollar value.

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Carsharing is a unique mobility option that provides the flexibility of a car without needing to actually own one. Individuals using carshare are able to save money on maintenance, gas, and insurance, and worry less about parking. For cities, the benefits of carshare are even greater. Every carshare vehicle takes 13 personally owned cars off the road and encourages more people to use alternative modes of transportation. This in turn helps combat climate change, puts less stress on a city’s roads, and complements the local transportation systems.

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Our mission at Ride Report is to help accelerate the transition to a sustainable and efficient transportation system, and city revenue generated from new mobility will be a critical part of that transition. When managed effectively, this revenue can be utilized to fund new infrastructure and pay for programs that increase mode-shift and deliver positive city outcomes.

Today, we’re excited to share that Ride Report has tracked over $1.2 million dollars in dynamic shared mobility usage revenue across our city customers worldwide. In addition to tracking city revenue, we also have tools to help cities invoice the operators for micromobility fees.

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I started my transportation career in the fall of 2008, as the economy was unravelling at the start of what would become the Great Recession. Obama was elected within a couple of months and in early 2009, Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), a $787B stimulus package that included significant funding ($48B) for transportation infrastructure. As with many packages of this nature, the focus was on projects that were “shovel-ready” and could spend the federal funds quickly on tangible projects.

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Since the first Bird e-scooters hit the streets in Santa Monica in the fall of 2017, e-scooters and other forms of micromobility have thrived and cities have encountered lots of attention, both positive and negative, that comes with them. Ranging from complaints about sidewalk clutter to anecdotes about injuries for both scooter riders and other sidewalk users, there are plenty of points of contention for the media and individual residents to focus on. At Ride Report, we know that this type of attention is not welcome and oftentimes not representative of the larger program, so we recommend several strategies to manage and address negative public perception.

When the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) and its members met in early 2019, they shared a common goal: to manage emerging micromobility programs in a coordinated and consistent manner throughout the region. When it came to shared micromobility data, rather than developing independent resources and tools for each agency, they sought a different solution — a coordinated and shared micromobility data management approach.

DRCOG has been using Ride Report for the last year to share information across jurisdictions and agencies, while better understanding shared micromobility in the region. We spoke with Transportation Technology Strategist, Emily Lindsey, at DRCOG to learn more about how these combined efforts are panning out.

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Spring of 2021 is quickly approaching (for the northern hemisphere) and brings with it more change than most years. With COVID-19 vaccines rolling out at a steady pace, a new White House Administration, and summer quickly approaching, the micromobility industry is poised to experience a boom in activity.

What does that mean for cities, residents, and visitors? Read on to find out.

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Cities around the world are embracing micromobility as a sustainable and fun form of transportation. As e-scooter and bike-share programs emerge, many cities turn to official procurements to ensure they are able to work with the operators and third party providers that fit their unique needs. Writing a formal RFP can be time consuming, but a well-planned RFP will save you time and energy in the long run.

At Ride Report, we’ve helped many cities get their micromobility programs up and running successfully. Whether you’re new to micromobility or are looking for third party services to enhance your already existing program, here are some considerations when working on your next RFP.

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Today, Ride Report, in collaboration with Lime and Bird Canada, released our exciting report showing high e-scooter usage in Edmonton, including frequent travel to downtown and business improvement districts and replacement of car travel.