Miami reintroduces electric scooter rentals, again. Here are the new rules
They’re back. Again.
Miami has reintroduced electric scooter rentals in its District 2 urban core region following a December suspension after residents complained about clutter and large, youthful crowds. The scooter program was initially suspended in March due to Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 emergency order.
After negotiating with its seven scooter vendors and other stakeholders about how to curb the nuisances, the city came up with a list of new rules.
First, no one under the age of 18 will be permitted to use a scooter — and this time, companies will face fines of up to $250 if an underage rider is found on their product. (Complaints abounded about underage riders congregating on the two wheelers, especially in and around Bayfront Park.) Users will need a driver’s license or government ID that proves they are at least 18 to activate a rental. They also won’t be permitted to rent more than one scooter at a time.
Companies also will now be restricted to no more than four of its scooters on a given city block. And while a rider can still leave a scooter wherever they wish, companies agreed to offer discounts to riders who leave scooters in designated “corral” areas, which can hold around 15 scooters.
Finally, the city is designating Biscayne Boulevard between Chopin Plaza and Northeast 11th Street as a “special operating zone,” where riders will be held to a 10-mile-per-hour speed limit that will be enforced via geo-fencing technology. The designation includes sidewalks.
“This new scooter program is an improvement for pedestrians and riders alike,” District 2 Commissioner Ken Russell said in a statement. “We have 25% fewer scooters on the street, we have reduced how many scooters can be stored per block, and we increased safety measures to eliminate underage riders.”
The program is still in a pilot period and will be reevaluated in approximately 30 days.
