Electric scooter company Spin acquired permission to operate in Richmond in late February 2023. (Mike Platania photo)

There’s a new player that’s recently arrived on Richmond’s electric scooter scene.

Spin, which offers on-demand rentable scooters, can now be seen around the city.

The company’s app showed its black-and-orange scooters parked in Scott’s Addition, Carytown, Manchester and elsewhere in the city on Tuesday. Users can rent the scooters via Spin’s mobile app and then use them to get around.

Spin received permission from Richmond to operate within the city limits in late February, according to Dironna Moore Clarke of the city’s office of equitable transit and mobility. The office is part of Richmond’s public works department, which regulates scooters in Richmond.

Spin is permitted to operate 500 devices in Richmond. Clarke said Spin paid Richmond $45,000 for its year-long operating permit.

The company didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

Spin enters Richmond amid a shuffling of operators in the market. Bolt Mobility ceased operations in Richmond over the summer. The company in 2019 had been the first licensed e-scooter company to set up in Richmond. In early 2022, Helbiz let its permit expire after a short stint in the city.

The only e-scooter companies currently cleared to operate in Richmond are Spin, Bird and Lime, according to Clarke.

Spin was founded in San Francisco in early 2017. The company was bought by car manufacturer Ford in late 2018. Ford then sold the company to Berlin-based scooter firm Tier Mobility about a year ago, according to Spin’s website.

Richmond City Council voted last month to permit e-scooter operators to exceed their device caps by 20 percent so long as the additional devices are set up in the city’s Southside, Clarke said. Scooter operating hours were also recently extended to 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Previously, they were allowed to operate from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Jack joined BizSense in 2020, covering startups, retail, healthcare, public companies and nonprofits. He previously reported for the Virginia Gazette and Tidewater Review. He is a graduate of Christopher Newport University. Reach him at [email protected] or 804-554-6545.

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