The e-scooter landscape has changed dramatically since rentable scooters arrived in late 2017. Santa Monica was the first U.S. city to have shared electric scooters appear on its streets. Choosing to act first and ask later, Bird Rides, Inc., flooded the city with scooters, without bothering to obtain business licenses or vendor permits. As a result, the City of Santa Monica criminally charged Bird, which was forced to pay a fine of over $300,000. And so it began.
You need to first understand how renting an e-scooter works. Scooter companies charge a fixed cost to unlock a scooter (approximately $1) and a per-minute rate when you ride (ranging from $0.30 to $0.52, depending on the city). In order to unlock a scooter, riders must download an app on their phone and upload their driver’s license and credit card information. Riders must agree to a user agreement which includes draconian clauses designed to insulate the scooter companies from liability. The scooters have built-in GPS technology, allowing riders to locate available nearby scooters and allowing the companies to always know where their scooters are.
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