San Francisco issues cease-and-desist orders to three electric scooter companies as the city's Board of Supervisors considers a proposed ordinance to regulate the scooters.
Dennis Herrera, the City Attorney, gave the startups Bird, Spin, and LimeBike until April 30 to respond to the letters. To be clear, the city did not ban electric scooters. Rather, the idea is to regulate the public use in a way that the scooters will not be a public nuisance as the city calls them.
Board Of Supervisors Not Happy With The Startups
Supervisor Jane Kim is not particularly happy about how the three companies are conducting their businesses. In the first place, they were not given explicit permission to operate.
"To say that you asked us for permission and implied we gave you that permission," Kim said, "isn't the best way to build trust."
However, the board is not looking to ban the e-scooters. The proposed legislation's main objective is to have the three companies educate their users on the proper use and parking of the electric vehicles.
Electric Scooters Are Creating Problems
The startups allow users to reserve an electric scooter and pay a small fee for the ride through the app. There are no docks in which users can park their scooters, leading to an uncontrolled fleet of vehicles that riders think they can leave wherever that's convenient for them.
Citizens are already complaining about riders parking it anywhere, blocking sidewalks and entrances. Supervisor Kim also noted that she has seen several e-scooters tipped over on sidewalks within the first week of launching the apps.
Many have also reported people riding the scooters on sidewalks, which are potentially dangerous as the vehicle can go up to 15 mph. These practices, which the letter says are unlawful and are a public safety hazard, prompted San Francisco to take action.
Bird, Spin, and LimeBike now have to make efforts in controlling their customers' behavior. Also, they have to submit a written report to Herrera's office on how they have complied within the deadline.
San Francisco Might Soon Issue Permits
The current laws don't require such companies to apply for a permit before operating. However, the Board of Supervisors is voting to allow the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority to impose a permitting process in May.
"With a permit, we would require the scooter share companies to educate their users on how to ride and park responsibly and hold the companies accountable to produce good behavior from their users," said Paul Rose, an SFMTA spokesperson.
As a response, a spokesperson from Bird told Business Insider that the company will begin requiring its users to take a picture of the scooter in a proper parking spot. It will allow the company to catch violators and suspend or deactivate their accounts.
