OAKLAND — Oakland has a clear message for companies like LimeBike, Bird Rides and Skip that have dumped 1,000 e-scooters on its streets since March: It’s time to play by our rules.
Though the companies obtained business permits to legally operate in Oakland, the city — along with others in California — had no regulations in place for the new technology, and were left scrambling to get some rules on the books. Meanwhile, residents were stuck dealing with the influx: tripping over discarded scooters, getting scratches on their cars and in some cases even getting bashed into. One was even used in a robbery in Chinatown.
The new rules, passed at a contentious City Council meeting Monday, will require the companies to put at least half their fleets in areas of Oakland with transportation needs as designated by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. Those areas include parts of the Fruitvale, East Oakland, San Antonio and West Oakland neighborhoods. The rules require the companies give discounts to low-income residents and pick up scooters left in “inappropriate areas” such as wheelchair ramps and in front of doorways.
Both council members and speakers at Monday’s meeting blasted the companies, which launched the e-scooters throughout the state before cities had any regulations in place.
Mary Ryan, who approached the speaker’s podium in a powered wheelchair, said the scooters have made her day-to-day life more difficult. On Friday, she said, a child in her neighborhood who was struggling to start one of the scooters got frustrated and threw it, hitting her in the leg.
When she attended the Warriors’ victory parade, she couldn’t get home because discarded scooters lined the sidewalk, and she was unable to move them on her own.
“It’s getting horrendous,” she said. ” I can’t deal with getting up in the morning and trying to get out the front door and having knocked-over scooters there.”
Council member Abel Guillen, whose district includes the Chinatown and Eastlake neighborhoods, said Oakland has become the “wild, wild West of scooters.”
“I feel like they’re coming into this market with the expectation that anything goes, without feeling like they need to be responsive to this City Council and this community,” Guillen said. “These companies need to do a whole lot better than they’re doing currently.”
Public Works Department spokesman Sean Maher confirmed that LimeBike — the first company to offer e-scooters in Oakland — contacted Oakland officials in February to inquire about operating the service in the city. City staff told LimeBike that they didn’t have a permit process yet, but advised it to apply for a business license “and comply with all other relevant rules and regulations governing business operating, including provisions concerning illegal dumping and obstructing the pedestrian right-of-way,” Maher said in an email Tuesday.
LimeBike got a business license and launched the service in Oakland with 40 scooters.
LimeBike spokesman Joe Arellano told the Bay Area News Group on Tuesday that the company welcomes the new regulations.
“(Oakland city staff) base their program on demand and the requirement to serve communities of concern,” Arellano said. “Oakland’s regulations also require companies to share community engagement plans and have low-income plans. Those are all principles we agree with.”
BirdRides spokeswoman Mackenzie Long said the company also welcomes the regulations and their focus on equity.
“We are encouraged by the progress the city has made in establishing a framework that can work for everyone,” Long said. “We look forward to Oakland’s Department of Transportation weighing in on the ordinance and will continue to work closely with all local leaders to help integrate Bird into the fabric of the city.”
Though all council members agreed they wanted to hold the companies accountable, they did not agree on how to do so, leading to a heated debate. Council member Larry Reid — the only one against the ordinance allowing city officials to draft the regulations — wanted to outright ban the e-scooters until they can play by the rules. San Francisco did that in June and has recently started to issue permits.
“I suggest we tell them to take their crap off our streets until they’re properly permitted,” Reid said, adding that he was nearly struck by one recently.
But the e-scooters will continue operating in a legal gray area until the permit process is complete.
The city administrator, under the ordinance passed Monday, will develop regulations as well as a permit-application process and program requirements for e-scooter companies.The city administrator will have the authority to issue and revoke permits.
Department of Transportation manager Michael Ford, at the council meeting, said it will likely take six to eight weeks for the city to develop the process.
Reid — who as council president officiates at council meetings — grew even more frustrated over the lack of support for a ban throughout the meeting, and after the vote was cast, said that he will have president pro-tem Guillen run the meetings from now on.
“Why are we letting San Francisco outdo us on this? We have always been the leader in the Bay Area on stuff, and now we’re going to do things backwards and let San Francisco shine,” Reid said.
The e-scooter rules also will require companies operating in Oakland to provide safety features such as lights and reflectors, follow parking rules, and collect data on performance and effectiveness.
E-scooter companies are required to “quickly remove” e-scooters parked in unsafe or burdensome places and prop back up fallen E-scooters, according to the ordinance. The city administrator will choose designated spaces where e-scooters can be parked.
The regulations would also require the companies to provide proof of insurance upon receiving their permits. Kaplan told the Bay Area News Group that the ordinance calls for companies to take legal responsibility in the case of an accident.
The operators will be required to include a clear message on the app that encourages riders to wear helmets and inform them that they are not allowed to ride on the sidewalk. Information on state and local laws will be provided on the app, according to the ordinance. The safety guidelines in the e-scooter apps must be approved in advance by the city.
The ordinance also calls for the companies to provide a 24-hour customer service line — similar to Oakland’s 311 line — for complaints regarding improper parking, and for that number to be displayed on each scooter along with an identifying number. The companies must respond to complaints within three hours during normal business hours and within 12 hours on weekends or after hours.
The city administrator also will decide how many e-scooters a company can operate in Oakland. The city is still developing its master fee schedule for the permits.
“The idea is not to sell as many permits as we possibly can but to create a well-regulated market that serves the needs of our communities,” Ford said.
