More Nashvillians are riding electric bikes and scooters
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Photo: courtesy of Spin
When electric scooters first arrived in Nashville nearly a decade ago, they were neck-and-neck with pedal taverns and bachelorette party houses as the most annoying tourism feature in the city.
- As Metro scrambled to regulate scooters, the issue helped define the 2019 mayor's race.
Catch up quick: Metro now has a positive working relationship with the scooter rental companies, which have expanded their strategy in recent years to include more electric bike rentals.
Why it matters: The approach led to more people biking in Nashville, and more residents are making use of the rental fleet offered by city partners Spin, Bird and Lime.
By the numbers: When Spin first arrived in Nashville, about 10% of its riders were residents. That number grew over time to 36% in 2025, according to a presentation the company did at the Transportation Licensing Commission last month.
State of play: Spin introduced a new fleet of rental vehicles in recent weeks, including seated scooters and more electric bikes.
- Jimmy Gilman, Spin's head of government partnerships for the U.S. central region, tells Axios the company is focused on commuters, repeat riders and locals.
- Gilman says after adding seated scooters and more e-bikes, the company noticed more users in neighborhoods outside of downtown.
- "We're seeing longer trips, new riders and new areas," he says.
Zoom out: Carey Rogers, who serves on the Transportation Licensing Commission, which regulates electric scooters and bikes, and the city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, is a leading voice in pushing for more people to ride bikes in Nashville.
- Rogers tells Axios he's pleased the scooter companies are playing a part.
- The TLC also passed a rule requiring the rental companies' fleets to include at least one bike for every four scooters.
- "So that's why the bikes have ramped up," Rogers says. "It's clear that if they put them out there, people ride them."
Friction point: Scooters can still be a nuisance. A lingering issue is when they're left in the middle of a sidewalk.
- To address that, Spin is rolling out Bluetooth beacon technology that creates a digital corral. A scooter or electric bike has to be returned within the corral in order for a user's ride to end. That creates a financial incentive for riders to follow the rules.
Between the lines: Metro takes a unique approach to scooter and bike rentals compared to other places. The city has revenue-sharing contracts with the rental companies, while also serving as the chief regulator.
- "I wasn't around in 2018, but it was the wild west when scooters started showing up," T.D. Schlafer with the city's Transportation Licensing division tells Axios.
- "There were no rules in place at that time. What's been good is placing those rules, getting everybody on the same playing field, and the advances in technology have increased safety quite a lot."