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Electric scooter company Bird gets to stay in its hometown after all

David Wagner
David Wagner covers housing in Southern California, a place where the lack of affordable housing contributes to homelessness.
Published Aug 30, 2018 6:30 PM
People ride shared electric scooters in Santa Monica, California, on July 13, 2018. - Cities across the U.S. are grappling with the growing trend of electric scooters which users can unlock with a smartphone app. Scooter startups including Bird and Lime allow riders to park them anywhere that doesn't block pedestrian walkways but residents in some cities, including Los Angeles, say they often litter sidewalks and can pose a danger to pedestrians. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP) (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
People ride shared electric scooters in Santa Monica, California, on July 13, 2018.
(
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images
)

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Electric scooter company Bird gets to stay in its hometown after all

Electric scooter company Bird got its start in Santa Monica last year before quickly spreading to cities across the country. But in recent weeks, it looked like Bird could have been banned from its hometown.

A city report that ranked Bird lower than other scooter companies on factors like safety and public education prompted a protest in which Bird deactivated its scooters in Santa Monica for a day. But on Thursday, the city's planning director decided to let Bird and competitor Lime continue operating in the city.

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