Bird e-scooters users in Battle Creek, Michigan, will soon be tasked with verifying their sobriety. The new safety feature is the latest attempt to prevent drunk riding. Bird plans to expand the safety feature to its 250+ partner cities around the world.
According to Fox 5 News, the company LINK is launching 1,000 scooters in Baltimore next week. Spin and Lime also have available electric scooters in the city.
On June 30, 2021, members of the Senate Transportation Committee in Pittsburgh announced the start of a two-year pilot program to test e-scooters.
This pilot program has been in the works for the past two years. The issue needed special approval from the Legislature because the state’s motor vehicle code does not mention battery-powered scooters. The city has been working with Spin, a unit of Ford Mobility, to bring e-scooters to residents and tourists.
Pedestrians in the Santa Monica area have been dealing with e-scooter riders for a number of years now, but new technology could change riders’ capabilities. Santa Monica is the first city in the United States to receive this technology, which is slated to be available beginning July 1, 2021.
On May 29, 2020, a 91-year-old man was struck and killed by an electric scooter rider in Venice, California. Police are investigating the accident. A suspect is in custody.