Spin, a provider of environmentally friendly last-mile transportation, launched the Spin Cities Project, an initiative devoted to funding improvements to bike safety and infrastructure, in Seattle.
Spin will fund the project with an initial $10,000 investment, which will be augmented with contributions from local ride revenue to continually fund the Project. The first beneficiary of the Spin Cities Project is Bike Works Seattle, a local organization dedicated to promoting the bicycle as a vehicle for change among Seattle youth.
“Spin Cities Project is all about working with local officials and organizations to help fund urban infrastructure that will improve quality of life for people in Seattle. We are thrilled to launch our very first chapter here with an inaugural investment in a local organization that works to strengthen the community,” said Spin co-founder and CEO Derrick Ko. “This is another step toward bringing Spin’s affordable, equitable and environmentally-friendly mode of transportation to Seattle in a meaningful way, that won’t cost the city a penny.”
The Seattle Spin Cities Project will be led by a local advisory board in Seattle, drawn from public and private sector thought and community leaders. “We are thrilled to be working with the Spin Cities Project,” said Deb Salls, executive director of Bike Works Seattle. “Bike Works aims to empower youth and build resilient communities through biking. We look forward to improving bike safety and access to bikes, while building up a diverse biking community together with Spin.”
Spin’s orange smart-bikes can be unlocked and taken for a ride by scanning a QR code. Designed in California, the bikes are equipped with GPS, cellular modems, solar panels and solid tires that are designed for durability. Unlike traditional bikeshare systems, Spin’s technology requires no racks or docking stations and allows bikes to be dropped off anywhere that is legal and responsible.
Spin co-founders Derrick Ko, Euwyn Poon and Zaizhuang Cheng met while at different Y Combinator companies, and the Spin team is comprised of engineers, designers, operators, lawyers and policy thinkers with experience from Lyft, Uber, Airbnb and other Silicon Valley companies.
Photo courtesy Spin
