City Of Grand Rapids Pilots Community Pass With Spin

Press release from the City of Grand Rapids:

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The City and micromobility partner Spin, owned by Ford Motor Company, are launching Spin Community Pass today in Grand Rapids.

Designed for residents in need, the Spin Community Pass allows residents to take up to five 30-minute scooter rides each day over the course of three months. This pilot program, funded by the City, provides up to 650 passes to Grand Rapids residents who face transportation barriers like limited incomes and credit card or smartphone access and need more options.

The City is partnering with the Greater Grand Rapids NAACP, West Michigan Works, Baxter Community Center, Grand Rapids Urban League and Hispanic Center of Western Michigan to distribute the passes to Grand Rapids residents they serve. Program participants are also eligible for a free safety helmet.

"This program provides an opportunity to pilot ways to reduce transportation costs and provide City residents better access to mobility solutions,” said Kristin Bennett, project manager. “We are pleased to partner with Spin and the community partners on these priorities in the City's Strategic Plan."

Visit grandrapidsmi.gov/scooter for more information on the Spin Community Pass pilot program. To view Mobile GR’s presentation to the City Commission on its shared micromobility pilot, CLICK HERE.

The scooter share pilot program launched in the fall of 2020 and since has deployed e-scooters in a 12 square-mile area including downtown, neighborhoods and business districts. The pilot serves 74 percent of underserved neighborhoods to evaluate how shared micromobility services can contribute to Grand Rapids’ multi-modal transportation system.

Users are strongly encouraged to wear helmets and to learn basic rules of the road before hopping onto a scooter. In addition to wearing a helmet, basic safety includes using hand signals to indicate turns and lane changes, do not ride on the sidewalk, and riding in the street with the direction of traffic. Spin offers a safety quiz with options to earn ride credit for learning safety rules at spin.app/safety.

Spin Access, a program which provides 50 percent discounts on ride fees, is still available to all qualifying residents. Visit spin.app/spin-access to apply.

This press release was produced by the City of Grand Rapids. The views expressed are the author's own.