(Update at 12:20 p.m.) Dockless e-scooter company Spin is adding more designated parking spaces and discounts around Arlington.
The San Francisco-based company said it has nearly a dozen “Spin Hub” charging stands for parking — mostly around Crystal City and Pentago City, near Amazon’s new headquarters — and is now testing out financial incentives for users to stow scooters there.
Parking at one of the charging stations (or one of Arlington’s eight scooter parking corrals) will now net riders 50% off their next unlock fee, bring the fee from $1 down to 50 cents. It’s a move the company says will make charging and parking more efficient, and it comes as the county is about to review regulations for its scooter pilot program.
The company began installing the charging hubs in Arlington last month to address the safety and parking complaints long-levied at the county’s scooter program.
Spin’s D.C. area General Manager Josh Bear said in an email to ARLnow:
We realize that in order to be a good partner to cities, we need to play a role in helping them manage the consumer demand for sustainable transportation that we’ve unlocked. With the proper financial incentives and rider guidelines, we can potentially influence the behavior of people who use dockless electric vehicles and create more orderly scooter-share programs. We’re excited to test this parking incentivization pilot in Arlington County and Alexandria, with the goal of keeping the public ROW [Right of Way] clear and helping city governments better manage micromobility operators.
Spin issued a statement last week that the new docks and incentives could help curb the traffic some worry Amazon could bring to the region by enhancing the “transit connectivity between the three neighborhoods — Crystal City, Pentagon City and Potomac Yard — that comprise National Landing.”
The Ford-owned company noted that it partnered on the project with the Crystal City Business Improvement District.
The new hubs are located at the following locations, among others:
- 1102 S. Eads Street
- 2611 Richmond Hwy
- 251 18th Street S.
- 220 20th Street S.
- 520 12th Street S.
- 1901 S. Bell Street
- 2231 Crystal Drive
- 2600 Crystal Drive
- 2711 Richmond highway
A Spin spokeswoman told ARLnow that the parking incentives will also apply to the 13 scooter parking corrals in Alexandria — another jurisdiction weighing updates to its scooter regulations while also grappling with parking complaints.
Spin currently has 200 scooters deployed in Arlington after first rolling out the orange-banded devices back in February.