Homewood produces scooters; Birmingham asks Bird to leave



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Birmingham asked Bird Rides to immediately remove the scooters illegally placed on the sidewalks of the city last week.

Since the scooters landed on August 28, Homewood City has confiscated 38 Bird scooters illegally placed on the city's sidewalks, the police sergeant. John Carr said. Bird will be issued a quote for doing business without a city permit. Fines and court costs rise to $ 371, he added.

He said that a representative of Bird should pick up the scooters on Friday.

Birmingham

In a letter of discontinuance dated August 29, Birmingham City lawyer Nicole King said that if the scooters were not removed, they would be impounded for "conservation". The company would also face fines, the letter said.

Starting September 6, scooters remain on the sidewalks of the city of Birmingham. A Birmingham spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for additional comments.

A representative of Bird did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bird Rides Inc. is violating the law of the city by operating a public right-of-way company without permission, in the form of a franchise license, has indicated the letter of termination and withdrawal of Birmingham. The company has also placed scooters on the sidewalks of the city without authorization, which is punishable by a fine of up to $ 500 and / or 180 days in jail for each offense and for each day of violation.

On August 28, electric scooters landed in Birmingham, Homewood and Auburn. They arrived in Tuscaloosa the previous week. Scooters can be located and rented via the Bird app.

"It was a tough decision," said Kevin Moore, Birmingham's chief operating officer, about the city's decision to request the scooters' removal. Moore made the remarks Tuesday at a meeting of the city council's transportation committee.

He said the city was receiving complaints from local business owners who left scooters.

According to the letter from the city of Birmingham, Bird Rides applied for a commercial license but did not pay the license. No license has been issued, according to the letter.

"Please note that the courts of Alabama have concluded that the mere purchase of a business license does not meet the requirement of consent of the competent authorities to conduct business on the public roads of a city of the State of Alabama.

Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O. Quinn, who chairs the Transportation Committee, said the city was drafting legislation that would regulate scooters and similar small vehicles.

The transport committee had already heard presentations of Lime-S and Spin-free scooters, but none have yet been allowed to operate in Birmingham.

Authorities at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport contacted Bird to remove the scooters from the airport on August 29th. The nine scooters were removed later in the afternoon.

"Our priority is to operate a safe and secure airport for our passengers and our community," airport spokesman Toni Herrera-Bast said in an email. "For a company or individual to operate at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, they must follow and comply with all operational requirements of the city and the airport."

According to Bird, bird scooters can be rented via his smartphone app. The application allows users to locate and unlock a scooter. The app also shares safety tips for runners.

A journey costs $ 1 initial plus 15 cents per minute. The bird scooters are calibrated to operate at a maximum speed of 15 miles at the time. A charge lasts about 15 miles.

Every night, a Bird entrepreneur, called a loader, picks up the scooters and brings them home to be billed, according to Bird. The scooters are put back in their "nests", a pre-approved place, before 7 o'clock the next morning.

According to Bird, the company strives to ensure that users travel safely by:

  • Require riders to download a driver's license and confirm that they are over 18 years old
  • Require all runners to agree to a security agreement.
  • Show runners an integrated tutorial on how to ride scooters safely.
  • Display safety instructions on each scooter.

Although she currently operates illegally in Birmingham, Bird claims that she works closely with the cities where she operates. The company said the scooters are located in front of companies where scooters are wanted.

According to Bird, the company offers to donate $ 1 per vehicle per day to the cities where they operate. The money is intended to be used to build more bike lanes, promote safe driving and maintain our common infrastructure.

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