Spin scooters to leave Pittsburgh streets as city’s pilot program ends

PITTSBURGH — Over the past two years, you’ve probably seen a lot of people zipping around the City of Pittsburgh on these spin scooters. On Monday, the scooters will no longer work in Pittsburgh, as the city’s pilot program is coming to an indefinite end.

“It sounds very sad, man,” said Jamar Jones. “It’s enjoyable, it’s convenient. Zip from here to there. No traffic. Go right around. It’s a very good means [of transportation]. Sad to see it go.”

Since 2021, the city has been running a pilot program with Spin scooters.

It was the first pilot program for e-scooters in the state.

City officials say more than 200,000 people took more than one million rides on the scooters over the last two years.

Now, because the program wasn’t renewed, the scooters won’t run starting Monday, and they will start to be taken away from city streets.

“I think it’s a shame,” said Charles Black. “I think they should extend it, but then they should also enforce the rules.”

Those rules -- like not riding on sidewalks and not leaving scooters parked haphazardly -- are some of the reasons why some who live in the city have been against scooters.

On Saturday, Channel 11 even found a few scooters in the river right at the Point.

“If people would be more responsible about it, then people wouldn’t care,” Black said.

City officials say there is a potential for scooters to come back. That will be left up to lawmakers in Harrisburg.

City leaders say the state is still working through what they call the “complicated legislative process” involving the scooters.

But, without a re-authorization of the program, many who rely on this new mode of transportation will have to find another way to get around. Black calls it an inconvenience.

“My bus was late and I’m working over at the Ed Sheeran concert tonight, and there’s no way I could have got over here in time unless I used one of those,” Black said.

Even though the scooter program is ending, the POGOH bike share and Zipcar program will continue.

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