Metro has sent Bird scooters a cease and desist letter two days after the scooter-sharing service made its debut in Nashville.
Bird scooters have been unpopular in other cities across the country, including San Francisco. To rent one, the rider must download the Bird scooter app. Riders can then find their scooter of choice, scan the bar code, enter credit card and driver's license information, and scoot to their next destination.
However, leaving the scooters on the sidewalks violates Metro’s code.
In a letter dated May 8, Metro’s attorney said the scooters have been “observed by employees of the Metropolitan Government obstructing the public sidewalk.”
The company has 15 days to comply with the order and remove the scooters or Metro will do it for them.
Bird later released the following statement:
“We have received the Metropolitan Attorney’s letter asking Bird to abide by current regulations that prohibit blocking the public right of way. We share the important goal of protecting sidewalks from all vehicles -- cars, bikes, and Birds -- and Bird believes it is operating lawfully under Nashville’s existing city regulations. We are optimistic that we can collaborate with Nashville’s attorneys and elected leadership to build a framework that permits Bird to continue providing Nashville with an affordable, environmentally friendly transportation option. To begin addressing the concerns raised by the Metropolitan Attorney, we will require all riders in Nashville to take a photo whenever they park their Bird at the end of a ride. This will prompt our users to think of others when parking and help ensure that parking rules can be enforced.
As we continue this dialogue with the city, we at Bird will continue to abide by our Save Our Sidewalks Pledge, which includes collecting all vehicles each evening, growing responsibly, and remitting $1 per vehicle per day to city governments so they can build more bike lanes, promote safe riding, and maintain our shared infrastructure."
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