Can cities ban e-scooters in the name of public safety? Bird says no way

Enlarge / People ride shared electric scooters in Santa Monica, California, on July 13, 2018. (credit: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)
The transportation startup Bird has sued the city of Beverly Hills over its temporary, six-month e-scooter ban. The suit argues that state law, which explicitly allows for “motorized scooters,” actually preempts any municipal prohibitions.
The lawsuit, Bird Rides v. City of Beverly Hills, was filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The civil complaint argues that the city’s July 24, 2018, city council meeting—where the ban was quickly approved—was a “hasty and deceptive proceeding.”
Worse still, the company alleges, city police have “embarked on a campaign of indiscriminate seizure, snatching up Bird’s property anywhere officers spot a scooter.” Bird claims that it has received over 950 citations and demands to pay over $100,000 in fines. The company also says that the city hasn’t provided proper documentation and justification for those seizures.
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