Aiming to get people into alternative modes of transportation, the city of Annapolis will launch an incentive program this fall to boost the use of electric scooters and bikes.
As part of the Annapolis Pass program, a partnership with Annapolis Scooters and Capital Bicycles, people who buy scooters and bikes will get discounts at local businesses.
The city is recruiting shops and by the end of the month will have a number of restaurants and stores on board, city officials said.
Participants also will get half off on bus rides.
"It's a broad effort. We want people to consider other ways to get around Annapolis," said Paula Chase Hyman, marketing specialist for the Annapolis Department of Transportation. "It's a way of adding something to sweeten the deal to get people to do what we've been asking them to do for the last couple of years."
Already, the city offers a free fare zone for bus riders between Compromise Street and West Gate Circle, a program launched last year.
Each year about 1.2 million customers use the city bus system, and the city expects increased demand with development projects like Park Place.
This summer, the city launched a bike loaner program at City Dock and roughly 45 people -- mostly visitors and boaters -- have borrowed the free bikes.
The bike program ends Aug. 18 and it could run next year as well with city officials looking to run it through the annual boat show.
Mayor Ellen O. Moyer sees the new incentive program as a way to reduce pollution and congestion.
She recently blogged about the variety of transportation modes available in Paris, including bikes, boat buses, and motorcycles. In a telephone call from Ireland, where she is on vacation, she said what she's seen in Europe caused her to broaden her ideas about transportation in the city.
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