10-03-2025
Grand Rapids' downtown shuttle, e-scooters see growth
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — New data from the Mobile GR Commission shed light on transportation habits and costs for Grand Rapidians this week. Ridership is up for the Downtown Area Shuttle and other transportation options, according to information shared at the most recent meeting.
The DASH in passengers in January 2025 compared to January 2024, and an 85% increase in average monthly ridership overall since the start of last year.
'We revamped the service from two buses that run north-south and east-west, to one big circulator,' Mobile GR Transportation Planning Supervisor Erin Evenhouse said. 'We're really excited that more people are discovering it.'
For shorter trips, less-traveled corridors, isolated neighborhoods or off-hours travel, micro-transit options are filling a growing need as well.
Surge in DASH ridership credited to changes
'For people who don't have their own car, our options aren't great,' Evenhouse said. 'The buses don't run often, they don't run late, so being able to have a layered approach with different modes that people can take for different trip types … It's important for us to support and facilitate those different options.'
Grand Rapids is entering its third year as a partner with Lime. The San-Fransico-based company provides and maintains the growing fleet of e-scooters and e-bikes free of charge for the city, in exchange for the revenue they generate.
So far, the numbers are good. Evenhouse reported year-over-year growth in ridership in each year of the contract.
News 8 took one scooter for a ride Sunday afternoon. We traveled 1.8 miles for a cost of $8.31 at full-fare. Mobile GR conducted a pilot program last summer that provided free rides for qualifying participants and reduced rates for some neighborhoods. It determined that the reduced fare increased participation and did not increase safety incidents. A spokesperson for Mobile GR told News 8 it intends to offer reduced prices going forward to those groups that qualified during the pilot program.
Lime offering free daily rides in GR: Here's who qualifies
The reduced rates, though, bring down an already competitive price. According to Mobile GR, Grand Rapids boasts the lowest rental rates of any Lime city in North America.
Safety and proper use statistics are also positive in Grand Rapids. According to Mobile GR, 99% of trips ended within the contracted service area, while 95% ended with the bike or scooter parked in a designated drop zone. In cases where it wasn't, 92% of the time they were returned to drop zones within 24 hours.
There were 216 safety incidents reported by Lime and the Grand Rapids Fire Department in 2024. Fifty-five of those incidents resulted in moderate injury or a trip to the hospital for someone involved. That figure represents .01% of all trips in the market.
Staying safe on electric bikes and scooters in Grand Rapids
The DASH and Mobile GR's other transportation programs are funded using parking payment and enforcement. There were 82,482 total parking tickets issued in 2024, including 45,805 for downtown meter infractions, which accounted for around 12% of Mobile GR's total revenue.
Off-street parking made up the bulk of revenue, with garage and event parking accounting for $21 million.
Part of Mobile GR's meeting discussed its findings from research into parking prices in comparable, regional municipalities. The research and outreach determined that Grand Rapids' rates in garages, for events and enforcement hours at meters were less than comparable markets.
It then established guiding principles to inform decisions on those rates in the future, including keeping them lower than private parking options but even with competitive markets.
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