Scooter companies LimeBike, Bird and Spin put their scooters out on the streets of San Francisco, weeks before the city starts regulating them. Mark Matthews reports.
San Francisco city officials announced Thursday that companies must remove their shared electric scooters from the city's sidewalks by June 4 and apply for permits and wait for approval.
The new "San Francisco powered scooter permit and pilot program" designed in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will require companies such as Lime and Bird to apply for a permit that has been made available Thursday.
City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the city has received over 1,800 complaints since April of the e-scooters becoming a public nuisance, blocking public spaces and making places inaccessible to children, the elderly and people with disability.
"San Francisco supports transportation innovation but it cannot come at the price of privacy, accessciility and public safety. This permit program strikes the right balance," Herrera said.
The program collect data, evaluate and assess whether further increases in scooters would serve the public interest, according to the SFMTA.
Up to five qualified companies could be issued permits to operate a shared total of up to 2,500 shared for the 12-month program, SFMTA said. The permits could be issued by the end of June, according to Herrera.
