Spin Supports Essential Workers and Keeps Operations Safe During COVID-19

In Baltimore, rapid response paramedic Anthony Venzon and his colleagues use Spin to quickly travel through the Baltimore Convention Center Field Hospital as they prepare to take incoming patients from overflowing hospitals.

Over the past few months, Spin has focused on keeping our employees and riders safe while supporting our communities as best as we can. To better support and serve our city partners during the ongoing crisis, Spin has resumed operations in an additional six markets — Alexandria, VA; Columbus, OH; Orlando, FL; Nashville, TN; Salt Lake City, UT and St. Louis, MO — and is extending our “Everyday Heroes” program for frontline healthcare workers.

In the next few weeks, Spin will resume operations in paused markets on a rolling basis as long as we can do so safely with support from local government.

“Under shelter-in-place orders, there is still demand for transportation options from those who have to make essential trips,” said Euwyn Poon, President and Co-Founder at Spin. “We are working closely with local governments, transit agencies, hospitals, businesses, and nonprofits to understand where there is a need for services to help fill in that gap. As some local and state governments begin to reopen, continued physical distancing will be part of cities’ transportation response plans, making individual transportation modes like scooters even more essential.”

Everyday Heroes Program Extended to May 31st

As part of resuming operations, all active markets — currently 14 — will be included in Spin’s Everyday Heroes program, which offers healthcare workers multiple free 30-minute rides and helmets.

“Our healthcare workers are on the frontlines fighting to ensure our communities are kept safe and healthy. Many have come to rely on our service as a result of public transit service cuts and as a safe form of transportation that allows for physical distancing,” said Kathryn Mullins, Head of Community Partnerships at Spin. “Even under these incredibly stressful circumstances, we hope our service can help provide a bit of relief and maybe even add a bit of joy when commuting.”

To date, Spin has partnered with 54 hospitals as part of the Everyday Heroes program. These partnerships range from deploying at “healthcare zones,” where scooters are available 24/7 for late-night shift workers, to providing hospital administrators with email templates on how to access this benefit for dissemination. All healthcare workers in these cities — including doctors, nurses, medical assistants, hospital and clinic administrators, janitors, and anyone else who works in a healthcare facility — are eligible (sign up here). Since March 31st, healthcare workers have taken thousands of trips, and we feel it is important to continue supporting them through this crisis by extending the program to May 31st.

Spin Safe: Inside Spin’s Operations During COVID-19

For our Operations team, creating a comprehensive plan to enhance sanitization and safety protocols both in warehouses and out in the field was critical to continuing — and resuming — operations.

“Throughout this crisis, the safety of our employees, riders, and the broader community has been a main focus. Since Spin’s workforce is made up of hourly and salaried employees, we’ve been able to quickly implement standardized safety procedures and hold our employees accountable for abiding by them,” said Austin Helms, Safety Operations Manager. “There’s a direct line of communication from the field that helps us to constantly improve our procedures.”

Since COVID-19 began, Operations has adjusted how we deploy, collect, and charge our scooters to ensure employees, riders, and the broader community are kept safe. This includes implementing updated protocols that all markets can follow focused on disinfecting regimens, supplying employees with PPE, and enforcing physical distancing. Some of these measures include:

Above left: The Detroit Operations Team sourced hand sanitizer for his team by looking locally. Atwater Brewery, a local business in Detroit, is making and selling its own hand sanitizer in response to the pandemic. Atwater Brewery was a natural partner for Spin’s Detroit team. // Above right: Josh Stone, Repair Operations Manager, often uses 3D printing to visualize scooter repairs so mechanics have an easier time making fixes. When the COVID-19 pandemic began, he proactively shifted his 3D printing skills towards creating 10 face shields for Operations Team members in DC. Ford and the Better Block Foundation have also been a resource for Spin, providing face shields and other PPE.

Sanitizing Scooters and Equipment:

Out in the field, Manwel D., Operations Specialist in Washington, D.C. is taking extra care to make sure all major points of contact have been thoroughly sanitized.

• Scooters: Every time a scooter is picked up or enters a warehouse, Spin employees disinfect main contact points on the scooter — with disinfectant spray or wipes — in accordance with a standard operating procedure developed by Spin’s Central Safety Operations Team. Scooters with higher usage are cleaned more frequently.
• High-Traffic Surfaces: All high-traffic surfaces, in both Spin warehouses and out in the field, must be cleaned after every shift. For example, deployment/collector vehicles and items in warehouses such as light switches, countertops and doorknobs.

Warehouse Safety and Employee Protocols:

• PPE for Employees: Employees are supplied with single-use face masks every shift and must wear face shields or safety glasses and gloves throughout the duration of their shift.

• Daily Health Declarations: Before every shift, employees are sent a reminder about Spin’s zero-tolerance sick policy and asked to confirm whether they are in compliance with this policy prior to coming to work.
• Social Distancing in the Warehouse and Out in the Field: Employees should keep 10 feet away from each other, and from the general public, at all times. Spin has rearranged shifts to ensure there is little to no contact between employees.

All of these procedures are based on guidance provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). For more information about COVID-19 safety protocols and preventive measures for riders, please visit https://www.spin.app/covid19.

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