An e-scooter service area is expanding in some Denver metro area counties, making it easier to travel in communities along Interstate 25.
It's becoming even easier to get around on a scooter in communities south of Denver. For the first time, scooter riders in Arapahoe and Douglas counties can travel across a connected regional scooter corridor.
It stretches from Centennial and Greenwood Village all the way down south to Meridian and Inverness.
The SPIN scooter program is adding more scooters to its fleet on top of expanding the service area in the Denver South region. About 60 more scooters have been added to the area. It'll make it easier for people to travel north and south, and east and west.
Whether it's a ride to lunch in the Denver Tech Center, a concert at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre or to and from work, many people in these south metro communities are taking spins on SPIN scooters.
Now, there's a more seamless way for Krista Bozacki to travel across the region.
"It's a great compliment to the light rail for me because I take that to and from work a lot," said Bozacki, who said she rides scooters about once a week. "After getting to work, it helps me get around the corridor if I want to get lunch or need to run to a meeting. I think it's just a great extra tool."
The scooters launched in 2021 in Meridian, while Greenwood Village, Centennial and Inverness added scooters after that. Until now, these service areas were not connected, but this expansion makes one continuous corridor.
"I think having the extra connectivity is going to be huge," Bozacki said. "To be able to go from here at the Arapahoe station down to Ikea or down to my climbing gym in centennial is going to be great."
More people are riding scooters too. David Worley, the president and CEO of Denver South, said in June, SPIN had 3,300 rides, and it's anticipated to have almost 27,000 rides in 2026.
"It's kind of become a part of the transportation fabric down here in the south," Worley said.
Worley added that people ride scooters year round, but they see a larger uptick during summer.
Seventy-five percent of the rides happen during the weekday, with the most common start or end of a ride being the light rail station and people going to and from work.
"In terms of travel down here, moving east and west is a lot more difficult than moving north and south," Worley said. "It's really a first and last mile solution for people using scooters and e-bikes."
Worley added that transportation doesn't stop at city boundaries either.
"I think micromobility is one of the most important things facing our economic growth. If we add people and jobs, we also need a way for those people to get around and to maintain the quality of life that we have here," Worley said. "So it's a critical part of the transportation ecosystem."
It's easy to catch a ride on a SPIN scooter, and it's also budget friendly. All you do is use your phone and scan the QR code on the scooter and your entire ride only costs $1. Denver South and other participating metro districts cover the remaining charges. Users can find scooters through the SPIN app.
Arapahoe County is also proposing pilot programs to address micromobility in the community. It's part of the ArapaGO: Transit Connections Plan.
The three areas under consideration include:
- Littleton/Englewood, including portions of Sheridan and Centennial
- Southeast Centennial, including the Broncos Parkway area
- Southeast Aurora/Southlands, including portions of Centennial
More information about the county's proposed micromobility pilot program is avaibale on its website.
