New Microtransit Program Coming To Birmingham
District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn welcomed Birmingham residents to “the new era of shared micromobility” Tuesday after the council approved deals with two bike- and scooter-sharing companies.
The council unanimously approved deals with Gotcha Mobility and VeoRide that will be effective through next June and subject to renewal after that. The program will be similar to the Zyp bikeshare program, which was discontinued in December, O’Quinn said, but will include electric scooters as well as electric bikes and will serve a “much larger” service area.
Both companies will pay the city a permit application fee of $500, annual fees of $20 per device and $100 per rack or corral, a performance bond of $100 per device, and $500 for any subsequent permit renewal requests.
Gotcha Mobility also plans to relocate their national equipment distribution center to Birmingham, O’Quinn said. “Not only is this a win for Birmingham in terms of bringing new mobility options to the city, but it is also a win in bringing an employer to the city,” he said.
Both vendors will be required to house their devices in “corrals” throughout the city, which O’Quinn described as “designated spaces where devices will be set up for consumers to go and rent them.” The companies will incentivize customers to return rented devices to those corrals.
Gotcha previously launched a similar bikeshare programs at both Auburn University and the University of Alabama; it also has an electric scooter program in Mobile. VeoRide is currently in 50 cities around the country, including Atlanta and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Mentally ill people are stuck in jail because they can’t get treatment. Here’s what’s to know
Hundreds of people across Alabama await a spot in the state’s increasingly limited facilities, despite a consent decree requiring the state to address delays in providing care for people who are charged with crimes but deemed too mentally ill to stand trial. But seven years since the federal agreement, the problem has only worsened.
Ivey appoints Will Parker to Alabama Supreme Court
Parker fills the court seat vacated by Bill Lewis who was tapped by President Donald Trump for a federal judgeship. The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Lewis as a U.S. district judge.
How Alabama Power kept bills up and opposition out to become one of the most powerful utilities in the country
In one of the poorest states in America, the local utility earns massive profits producing dirty energy with almost no pushback from state regulators.
No more Elmo? APT could cut ties with PBS
The board that oversees Alabama Public Television is considering disaffiliating from PBS, ending a 55-year relationship.
Nonprofit erases millions in medical debt across Gulf South, says it’s ‘Band-Aid’ for real issue
Undue Medical Debt has paid off more than $299 million in medical debts in Alabama. Now, the nonprofit warns that the issue could soon get worse.
Roy Wood Jr. on his father, his son and his new book
Actor, comedian and writer Roy Wood Jr. is out with a new book -- "The Man of Many Fathers: Life Lessons Disguised as a Memoir." He writes about his experience growing up in Birmingham, losing his dad as a teenager and all the lessons he learned from various father figures throughout his career.
