Orange County will bring new electric scooter program to I-Drive

Orange County is looking to give residents and visitors a low-cost option for navigating the pedestrian-unfriendly International Drive corridor.

The county is partnering with electric scooter companies Lime and Bird to deploy about 200 electric scooters between Carrier Drive and Destination Parkway.

The stretch includes popular attractions like Icon Park, Wonderworks Orlando, Dave & Buster’s Orlando and Andretti Indoor Karting & Games Orlando.

The program will be administered by the county’s traffic engineering division. There will be 10 parking locations to hold the scooters, which can be rented by riders aged 18 and older.

With this program, the county hopes to improve the area’s “micromobility” — or transportation using lightweight vehicles like bikes or scooters. Micromobility is a growing alternative transportation trend , which includes the use of rented electric rides, according to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration.

Orange County Project Coordinator Luz Munoz said he’s thrilled to witness the program’s soft launch. He considers it a commitment to improving the county’s environmental footprint, he said in a release.

"This initiative stands as a beacon of accessible and eco-friendly transportation,” he said.

Within the city of Orlando, residents have long been concerned about the city’s overreliance on car travel. Last year, a study by online tutoring service Preply ranked Orlando last in walkability among the top 30 most-recommended travel destination cities in the country.

The city of Orlando already began introducing electric scooters in areas including downtown Orlando and Lake Eola five years ago.

Orange County’s launch is limited to the International Drive corridor for now, but if the program is successful, it will be expanded into other parts of unincorporated Orange County.

Announced earlier this summer, Downtown Orlando will also receive a new on-demand electric shuttle service, dubbed Ride DTO, beginning this fall. The city approved the program, which will offer private rides to small parties through five mini-shuttles, in June.

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