A look into the regulation of e-scooters
E-scooter regulation has been both facilitative and restrictive. Some restrictive methods cities have adopted include outright or de facto bans on ride-share dockless mobility programs. Other cities have taken a more facilitative approach, allowing companies to bring the scooters with minimal initial government regulation with the intention of implementing responsive regulations based on the feedback from the company and citizens.
Some cities have taken a cautionary approach to introducing dockless scooters into their cities. Carefully crafting pilot programs to test how the community reacts to this new technology, some cities like Portland, Atlanta, and Charlotte have created processes which allow companies to introduce their scooters gradually into the community. By working with the companies throughout the program, these cities have been able to tailor e-scooters to suit their particular city’s transportation needs.
Most cities want to avoid guerilla implementation, where hundreds or thousands of scooters are dropped into a city overnight. Where this scenario is looming, cities have reacted by implementing moratoriums, like Columbia, SC, and/or emergency regulations like Austin, TX.