How did participants use the mobility services?
In Bakersfield, participants reported using Spin e-scooters (available during the first several months of the pilot) 4 days per week on average and Spin e-bikes (introduced when scooters were removed) 5-6 days per week. Oakland participants largely used their funds to pay for rides on public transit (BART commuter rail, or AC Transit buses), which were services most were already using prior to the pilot.
They also tried new mobility services. For example, most participants who used their funds to purchase ferry (86%) shared scooter (78%), and BayWheels shared bikes (60%) services did not regularly use those before the pilot.
“It [the pilot] definitely, positively affected me because before I had trouble getting to the places that I needed to be. But with the e-bike I didn't have to worry as much because I could cover more ground quicker. And it would also make sure that I wasn’t in the heat for too long. So I would still look good and not like I just ran a marathon.” –Bakersfield, 22yo Hispanic/latino man
Participants were able to get a lot of use out of the provided services despite some major challenges. In Bakersfield, Spin experienced unprecedented levels of vandalism to their e-bikes, which resulted in low availability of vehicles due to maintenance requirements and missing bikes. Participants also often experienced bikes with failures due to the vandalism. Spin provided training to Dream Center staff, who individually gave one-on-one orientation to participants. Despite these efforts, many participants reported confusion about where they were allowed to ride the bikes (operating zones) and also expressed the need for expanded operating zones.
In Oakland, participants often were not aware of which services they were allowed (or able) to purchase with their cards. Although the services were noted on recruitment flyers and the City’s program website, participants may not have saved the flyer (or even received it, since some heard by word-of-mouth and applied) and many did not know about the website. The cards also seemed to have not worked exactly as specified. Specifically, some participants reported using the card to purchase ridehailing services, which was not stated as an allowable use.