'It will still be illegal for scooters to be on the sidewalks, the Monon and the Cultural Trail,' Adamson said. Scooters count as motorized vehicles, which are banned on sidewalks and trails. Not on sidewalks, trailsĪs city officials acquiesce to electric scooters, Adamson said the council's short-term action will still limit where they can be ridden. The city wants operators to educate users on wearing helmets and operating in places allowed by law, Cook said.

'The (Americans with Disabilities Act)-compliant nature of our current infrastructure is harmed when people are putting scooters in the middle of sidewalks or blocking ADA ramps,' Cook said. One concern among city officials has been that scooters can be left anywhere, including in places that block access to buildings. The language of the scooter compromise was not final as of Wednesday, council members said.Ĭouncil President Vop Osili, a Democrat and member of the public works committee, said in an interview that the council is 'drafting a proposal that is sensitive to affordable transportation options and to all users of our public infrastructure.' The council likely will regulate where the scooters can be parked, requiring them to be kept away from areas such as ramps and doorways. People can find the scooters on sidewalks across the city and park them when their trip is finished. Unlike the city's bike rental system, electric scooters do not have stations. The two companies operating in Indianapolis so far charge an initial fee of $1 per ride and 15 cents per minute. The motorized scooters travel up to 15 miles per hour. We also want to have all businesses in the city treated equally.' 'We want to embrace these forms of technology. San Francisco, for instance, is planning to select five scooter operators out of a field of a dozen applicants seeking to enter the market. The company defied that request - as it has in other cities - saying in a statement that it will continue 'to serve our new Indy riders as we work with city leaders to create a regulatory framework that works best for the people of Indianapolis and helps them meet their goals.'Īnother company, Lime, launched service last week, citing a competitive disadvantage that would come with sitting on the sidelines while Bird built a customer base in Indianapolis. The city asked Bird to suspend operations for 30 days while it considered regulations. The first scooter companies on the scene in Indianapolis have not come to town with the same spirit of cooperation.īird, a California-based electric scooter startup with a $1 billion valuation, introduced dockless scooters to Indianapolis earlier this month.

'Personal mobility is a very important aspect of what we try to accomplish on behalf of the residents of our city, so I want that to be established at the outset.' 'I think it's important that as a city we embrace new technology,' Hogsett said. Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration has sought to walk a tightrope between welcoming scooter operators and asking them for cooperation as the city reviews business practices and safety measures. Cities from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., have wrestled with accommodating a product that supporters see as a complement to public transit and detractors see as a nuisance, somewhat tracking reactions to the rollout of ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft.

The council action is a first step for Indianapolis in a process that for months has been playing out in cities across the country, with varying degrees of consternation.

Outset select scooters