Is new mobility having a labor moment?

This week, startups like public transit, Boomers love ebikes, and NYC still doesn’t get cycling, but first…

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A who’s who of micromobility-istas, that’s who. Speakers include:

Check out the full program here.

At the behest of the Northern California Teamsters, Spin has signed a “labor peace” pact welcoming unionization of its workers, including potentially mechanics. The pledge positions the Ford-owned company favorably as it seeks a permit to operate in San Francisco. | Examiner

… relatedly, a California bill that would require gig companies like Uber and Lyft to reclassify their independent contractors as employees will likely be signed into law soon. | Business Insider

… and in Paris, Lime has decided to stop employing freelancers to charge its vehicles. The startup will hire some but not all of its current juicers directly and partner with third-party companies to handle the rest of its fleet. | TechCrunch

Czech automaker Skoda has a new pedal-free ebike concept that riders control by tilting the footrest forward and backward. | New Atlas

In a new interview, Lime president Joe Kraus talks unit economics, Lime’s relationship with Uber, the U.S.-China trade war, IPO goals, and above all, the booming European market. “Our view is that micromobility works much better in Europe than the United States.” | Recode

Seattle is exploring creating on-street parking for bikes and scooters. | GeekWire

Putting the “micro” in micromobility, Urban Sharing has launched the world’s smallest bike-share program in a tiny fishing village on a Norwegian island north of the Arctic Circle. The system consists of 12 bikes and is fully dockless. | FastCo

A new study finds startups prefer cities with strong public transportation over office parks in transit deserts. | Citylab

With Hurricane Dorian approaching, cities across Florida required scooters and bikes be removed from streets, lest high winds turned the dockless vehicles into airborne projectiles. | The Verge

New York mayor Bill de Blasio is weighing the idea of requiring Citi Bike riders to wear helmets, and requiring all cyclists to obtain licenses. | Gothamist

In striking contrast with a major 2018 Portland study, a report by the German Federal Environmental Agency finds scooters mainly replace walking and public transit trips. “Nearly 47 percent of the respondents stated that they would have walked to the destination if not for the e-scooter option, 29 percent would have used public transport and 9 percent would have opted for a bicycle. Only 8 percent of the respondents mentioned that they would have used a car or a taxi.” | Freight Waves

Skip compared the amount of time it takes to commute to public transit in San Francisco by scooter with the amount of time it takes by car, and found that scooter was faster for 70% of trips. | Skip

Denver transportation officials are starting to look at bike lanes more as “ABC” lanes: “anything but cars.” | Smart Cities Drive

Ebike sales are up 60% in the U.S., fueled by rising popularity with seniors. | Considerable

Former EPA admin Carol Browner is advising Lime on its plan to switch to 100% renewable energy for vehicle charging. | Bloomberg
The U.S. Department of Interior is moving to allow ebikes in National Parks at speeds of up to 20mph. | ABC

Des Moines, Iowa, will soon have almost as many e-scooters as presidential hopefuls cruising its streets. | Register

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