The 411 Magazine The 411 Magazine issue 4 July/Aug 2017 | Page 79

The
FEATURE
SPIN CITY PROJECT
FUNDING BIKE INITIATIVES
S
                pin, the first company to  
                debut the stationless          
                bike-share concept in
America, have announced the
launch of the 'Spin Cities Project' in
Seattle, an initiative devoted to
funding improvements to bike
safety and infrastructure in the
Emerald City. in a local organisation 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".
Founded in San Francisco in 2016,
Spin helps people move around cities
by offering a convenient, affordable,
and environmentally-friendly mode
of last-mile transportation. The
company's co-founders, Derrick Ko,
Euwyn Poon and Zaizhuang Cheng,
met while at different Y Combinator
companies.  Their team is comprised
of engineers, designers, operators,
lawyers and policy thinkers with
experience from Lyft, Uber, Airbnb
and other Silicon Valley companies.
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 organisation
dedicated to promoting the bicycle
as a vehicle for change among
Seattle youth. The project will be led by a local
advisory board in Seattle, drawn
from the public and private sectors'
thought and community leaders.
Deb Salls, Executive Director of Bike
Works Seattle said: "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".
"The Spin Cities Project is all about
working with local officials and
organisations 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
Spin's unique orange-coloured
smart-bikes can be unlocked and
taken for a ride by simply 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 bike-
share systems, Spin's technology
requires no racks or docking
stations and allows bikes to be
dropped off anywhere that is legal
and responsible, providing riders
with a flexible, equitable and
convenient mode of transport.
For more information please visit
www.spin.pm.
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