With their their app-based reservation systems and appealing flexibility, dockless bike and scooter share programs seem a natural and convenient fit for the active Austin lifestyle. The first of these systems received the go-ahead from Austin City Council in February, and last month, the city officially added the dockless programs to existing city ordinances (with an accompanying list of rules and registration requirements). 

So if you want to cruise the streets of Austin on a bike or scooter, how do you get your hands on one? While only a small number of share programs currently have a foothold in Austin, the new law is already inspiring other companies to announce their planned launches. Here are the bike and scooter shares currently available in Austin and the ones you can expect in the very near future.

LimeBike

Lime(scooter) / Shutterstock

As far as Austin dockless bike sharing is concerned, California-based LimeBike stands apart as the company that started it all. City Council’s first “yes” vote for these programs came as a result of LimeBike’s pilot launch, and since that time the share platform’s presence has only grown bigger.

LimeBike currently includes over 200 bikes and scooters in its Austin repertoire, with choices scattered throughout the city. To find one close to you, download and login to LimeBike’s app and pull out the map, which uses GPS location targeting to find the bikes and scooters near your location. While you can find LimeBike transportation all over Austin, the highest density will be found in busy areas like Downtown Austin, East Austin, South Congress, and the University of Texas campus. 

With LimeBike, you can rent a classic pedal bike, an electric-assist bike, or an electric scooter. For pedal bikes, the price is $1 per 30 minutes with unlocking fee included. Electric bikes and scooters go for $.15 per minute (plus a $1 unlocking fee). 

Bird

Courtesy of Bird

Another California company making waves in Austin’s dockless transport scene is Bird. It provides a share platform exclusively for electric vehicles. As with LimeBike, Bird operates through an app that allows users to find scooters nearby, unlock their scooter of choice, and lock the scooter at the end of their rides. Bird prices its rides at $.15 per minute, along with a $1 unlocking fee. Scooter distribution varies, and like LimeBike, Bird sees a higher rate of scooter availability in popular Austin neighborhoods with younger demographics. 

Spin

Spin Bikes / Shutterstock

Spin is another electric scooter share program newly-launched in Austin. Spin is well-established in its home city of San Francisco and hopes to replicate its original popularity as it expands its reach into Texas. Spin’s app includes location tracking and unlocking capabilities, and it costs $1 to unlock a scooter and $.15 per minute to ride.

Zagster

Zagster bikes at twilight / Shutterstock

With over 6.5 million bikes available throughout the country, Zagster is the nation’s largest bike-sharing platform, and they have an active program in Austin. As of last week, Zagster’s Austin bikes come equipped with “lock-to” capabilities, allowing users to use the app to lock their bikes to racks or stow them in geo-fenced parking areas. After downloading the Zagster app, users can purchase ride credits depending on the length of time they’ll need the bike. Frequent riders are advised to buy a Zagster subscription for $29 a month, entitling users to unlimited one-hour rides. 

Ofo

Ofo app and Bike / Shutterstock

While Zagster boasts America’s largest network of dockless bike shares, Ofo is the international leader in this field, and it has plenty of bikes available to reserve in Austin. For a very reasonable $1 per hour, users can keep their bikes for as long as they like, using the Ofo app to book and lock their bike and to park the bike at the end of the ride.