The scooter company continues to operate without a license

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Bird scooter rental company has been operating in the city of Columbia without a commercial license for three weeks.

City officials said the ban on scooters was not their next step, but they were actively trying to come up with a plan for the next step.

Second Ward Councilor Mike Trapp said the scooter company may be in violation of the orders.

"There are a number of prescriptions that could potentially be in violation," said Trapp. "I am not a fan of this economic model of asking for forgiveness, rather than permission to enter and start functioning."

Lawyer Bogdan Susan said the marketing tactics call "marketing gorillas". He pointed out that it is the same marketing tool that Uber used.

However, Bird may need a larger license before being able to operate.

"Now, with the Bird scooter, it's different because they actually provide a vehicle to drive, so there's probably a stronger argument that they have to have a commercial license," he said. Susan.

The problem of birds can also be complicated with regard to injury or damage, according to Susan. It can be insurance to use – self or personal.

"I think the bird scooter company runs the risk of being sued because it provided this scooter to someone who has injured someone," he said. Susan.

Although Bird operates outside the city's lines, city spokesman Steve Sapp said Bird could offer a potential advantage to the city by offering alternative transportation.

Sapp also said the city will have a plan in the next 6 to 12 months after studying how other cities have dealt with similar companies.

"With all this development, I think our laws and our ordinances must make up for that," said Susan.

The usage agreement that Bird gives to all users places a lot of responsibility on the user, including:

• The vehicle must be locked at the end of the journey.
• The vehicle must be parked in a legal public place.
• The person who unlocks the scooter must be the only rider.
• The rider can not exceed 200 pounds.
• The rider must report if the vehicle is involved in an accident or accident, or if it has been damaged, injured, stolen or lost.
• Auto insurance may not cover accidents involving a Bird scooter.

The full user agreement can be found here.

Lyft has just launched its range of scooters a few days ago and Uber has announced that it will launch one soon.