I received this email from the city of Raleigh via SeeClickFix on Aug. 24. As you may have heard, the city is allowing the scooters to stay, but now considering rules for them.
Electric Scooters
There have been many comments entered on SeeClickFix Raleigh regarding the Bird electric scooters which appeared in Raleigh in mid-July. To clear up any confusion, here are some facts about the current situation:
1. The City of Raleigh has not endorsed Bird Scooters, nor does the City have any business relationship with Bird.
2. Bird has not obtained any license, permit, nor operating agreement from the City of Raleigh.
3. The City of Raleigh is quickly preparing new regulations crafted to better fit this new transportation option. These regulations will address the use of the scooters, including how and where they are parked, and any permissions to operate in Raleigh’s rights of way.
There are not enough resources for the city to properly replace or pick up abandoned scooters, nor should the taxpayers of Raleigh have to bear the cost of any poor conduct by Bird and their employees, and some of their customers. Like many things with local government, there are contrasting viewpoints on this topic, so your city government is requesting everyone’s patience as we work through various issues. In the meantime, you can contact Bird directly at City@bird.co.
Thank you for your patience.