Municipal Regulation of App-Based Dockless Scooters and Bicycles: Navigating Emerging Legal Issues

App-based scooter and bicycle rental companies like Spin, Lime and Bird are bombarding cities to corner this emerging segment of the transportation market.

Many see the sudden arrival of these scooters as a public nuisance, with renters leaving the scooters on sidewalks and other public areas, leading to street clutter, pedestrian hazards, and traffic accidents. Local government counsel must guide city officials in creating regulatory schemes to manage this issue.

Many cities across the country have created pilot programs to determine appropriate and effective regulations to implement. Other cities have adopted emergency administrative rules that require dockless scooter and bicycle rental companies to apply for permits with heavy restrictions.

Municipal law advisers must understand the pros and cons of the various regulatory schemes. Attorneys must also understand the big picture when advising cities on how to handle potential lawsuits that result from accidents and injuries attributed to the app-based scooter and bicycle rentals.

Listen as our distinguished panel provides guidance to municipalities and their attorneys in how to navigate the unique issues created by dockless scooters and bicycles. The panel will specifically discuss various regulatory schemes and best practices for handling associated litigation.

1. Overview of dockless scooter and bicycle rental models
2. Discussion of legal issues caused by app-based scooter and bicycle rental companies
3. Analysis of regulatory schemes employed by cities around the country
4. Best practices for navigating legal issues caused by these companies

The panel will review these and other relevant topics:

• How do app-based dockless scooter and bicycle rentals work?
• What are the legal issues arising from scooter and bicycle rentals?
• How are cities and local governments around the country handling this issue?