Some residents have spotted electric scooters in parts of the Santa Clarita Valley. Their placement on sidewalks isn’t permitted by the city, but a similar concept is — and may change the way residents and visitors move around the area.
Zagster, a Boston-based bike sharing company, confirmed Wednesday that its bike share brand, Pace, has arrived in Santa Clarita. But riders will have to wait until Friday to ride the bikes.
The service allows riders to check out a “lock-to” dockless bike for $1 per 30 minutes and ride it around town.
The system is quite simple: Riders use the Pace app to locate a nearby bike, which, when found, is synced to the user’s phone. The match automatically unlocks a cable that holds the vehicle to its rack so riders can start riding. To end a ride, the person has to find a Pace or public rack, hit “End Rental” in the app and secure the bike onto the rack with the attached cable.
There are already 12 stations installed, which usually hold 10 bicycles each, located across multiple areas including the Santa Clarita Metrolink Station, the McBean Regional Transit Center and at the Camp Plenty Road Trailhead, according to Stacy Sebeczek, Zagster market manager.
The city has not yet confirmed Pace’s operation, but Carrie Lujan, communications manager with the city, said Wednesday, “We will have more information coming later this week.”
Micromobility options like bikes and scooters have gained a negative reputation in some areas as users have left them almost anywhere, blocking traffic.
But Sebeczek said Pace’s lock-to feature “really appealed to the city because this avoids clutter so riders can be responsible and not leave bikes where they’re not supposed to.”
She said the city is working with Zagster to present the new service as a pilot program with the intention to grow and expand transportation options for residents and tourists alike to get around.
For more information about Pace, visit zagster.com.
