City of Gainesville Micromobility Program

The City of Gainesville is constantly looking for innovative ways to expand and enhance mobility options. The micromobility program consists of a fleet of shared mobility devices, such as e-scooters and bicycles, for short-term rental. The devices are available in the right-of-way for ease of use and to facilitate mobility and access. This is one more way the City is furthering healthy, economical and environmentally sustainable transportation alternatives.

Through this pilot program users can rent devices such as dockless bikes or scooters, equipped with GPS technology, without the need to return them to a specific location. Most companies offer smartphone applications where riders can locate a device, unlock it and pay for the trip.

Through a local ordinance, the City regulates the operation of these micromobility devices to further ensure the safety of riders, promote equitable service and help protect neighborhood character.

Always follow safety guidelines when riding, including: 

• Obey all traffic laws, signs and signals
• Follow all the same rules as bicyclists
• Ride with the flow of traffic
• Ride as close to the edge or curb of the roadway, unless passing, turning or avoiding a condition or potential conflict
• Yield to pedestrians
• Do not ride at night if lights are inoperable
• Do not ride while wearing headphones
• Wear a helmet
• Never ride under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol
• Other important safety information:
  
  • Review all (in-app) vendor safety information
  • Click on the following links to learn more about current vendors’ safety education efforts:
    • https://www.bird.co/safety/
    • https://www.spin.app/safety 
    • https://www.veoride.com/safety/
  • Allow plenty of time to practice in a safe, quiet location
  • Attend virtual or in-person safety events, coming soon

How and Where to Park

The Dos

• Devices should be parked upright at all times.
• Park in designated parking areas or near racks when possible.
• Always maintain a minimum five-foot clear pedestrian path on sidewalks.

The Don’ts

• Don’t park on private property, including front yards
• Don’t block sidewalks, curb ramps, wheelchair ramps or bus stops.
• Don’t block fire hydrants, call boxes or other emergency facilities.
• Don’t block driveways or on-street parking spaces.
• Don’t park in the street, unless in bike/scooter corrals.
• Don’t park in loading or freight zones.
• Don’t park in parking garages.
• Don’t park in building entryways.

Designated Parking Areas

The City of Gainesville has created preferred micromobility parking areas within the public rights-of-way, on and off-street. These areas have been identified to encourage consolidated and orderly parking in busy areas. These are not signed or marked, but may be viewed in each vendor’s app. Coming soon: Look out for incentives like ride credit for parking in these preferred areas. In addition to the preferred micromobility parking areas, users may park devices in the public rights-of-way in accordance with City guidelines (see “How and Where to Park”).

The University of Florida has also created dedicated micromobility parking spaces within its campus. When parking on UF’s campus, users are required to use these parking spaces and may not park elsewhere. For more information about parking on campus please visit Micromobility (E-Scooters) Program » TAPS (ufl.edu)

RESOURCES: 

• https://gainesvillefl.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?
• Regulations / Ordinance
• The City of Gainesville regulates micromobility in accordance with Ordinance No. 180115.
• Permit Information
• The city of Gainesville is not accepting vendor applications at this time. Please check back for updates.
• Ridership: Micromobility Public Dashboard
• Access the Ride Report for the Micromobility program public dashboard.

Frequently Asked Questions