WACO, Texas — Electric scooter and bike rentals will be rolling into Waco in June.
The city of Waco signed a one year pilot program with Gotcha Bikes LLC to bring a small fleet of electric scooters and bikes to the city.
City officials said they hope the smaller fleet size, which will consist of 50 bikes and 50 scooters, will help avoid the infamous problems larger cities like Dallas have experienced with abandoned rentals.
Parking requirements will also be enforced with fines. Customers will need to park their rentals at approved mobility hubs like bike racks or geofenced parking areas to avoid those fees.
"If someone decides not to follow those rules and park it outside of those approved areas there would be a fine that they would receive," Chelsea Phlegar, senior planner for the Waco Metropolitan Planning Committee said.
The program is going to be focused on downtown, uptown, Elm Ave. and some areas along the river walks.
The Metropolitan Planning Committee will ask for the community's input on how to improve pedestrian and biking conditions.
"We've identified 17 different strategies," Chris Evila, director of the Metropolitan Planning Committee, said. "Everything from bike lanes to new sidewalks to several different bicycle paths."
While the city of Waco does not have a helmet ordinance, Gotcha Bikes LLC does have a policy requiring riders wear helmets.
The rentals will not be allowed on sidewalks, only on shared use paths.