New Trend: Throwing Scooters Into the River — Who Is Responsible For Getting Them Out?
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
The new trend in Providence is throwing scooters in the Providence River. This week at low tide, GoLocal could see a half dozen of the electric scooters by Bird and Lime submerged in the river. How many have been tossed it the river is unknown.
The scooters dumped in the Providence River this week raise questions about who is responsible for their removal. It is nearly a year after the transportation devices made their debut — then retreat, then reintroduction — in Rhode Island’s capital.
The scooters could be seen submerged in open, murky water.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe demolition of scooters is not limited to Providence.
On Monday, San Diego's Fox News 5 reported, "Dozens of electric scooters and bikes were found damaged or defaced with inappropriate words in Ocean Beach Monday, causing a bit of an eyesore. 'Honestly, I don’t know why somebody would do something like that. It must be entertaining to them,' said resident Nina Richardson. As fast as the scooters are growing across the country so are the news reports of vandalism."
The Wall Street Journal recently reported, "Venture-backed dockless scooter startups have been capital-intensive businesses facing headwinds including vandalism and regulatory uncertainty. Lime, another large scooter startup and one of Bird’s main rivals, has raised roughly $775 million since it was founded in 2017, according to PitchBook."
READ: GoLocal Coverage of Scooters in RI -- BELOW
After Bird scooters popped up unannounced in Providence in July 2018 — and were pulled from the streets in August when the city announced regulations for the industry — both Bird and Lime scooters appeared back on the city streets last October.
Who is Responsible for the Clean-up?
Public Affairs for the United States Coast Guard said their jurisdiction, which allows them to investigate deep into waterways, is primarily limited to where the ocean meets a river.
“The Coast Guard, while it can investigate up the river further, in the case of Providence would generally go as far as just beyond the hurricane barrier,” said Carlos Tobon with the Coast Guard, who is also a Rhode Island State Representative.
Representatives from Bird and Lime told GoLocalProv that if they are contacted about scooters impinging on public property, that they will intervene.
"Vandalism of any kind should not be accepted, full stop. Vandalism can include damage to local storefronts, broken windows of cars, and theft or destruction of e-scooters,” said a spokesperson for Bird in a statement.
“At Bird, we have zero tolerance for vandalism and aggressively address it when it occurs in communities where we are meeting the needs for sustainable transportation options. We encourage everyone in these communities — whether they ride Bird or not — to report vandalism done to or with our vehicles as we are committed to acting swiftly and effectively. If you see something, report it to us at [email protected]."
Lime Scooters said that if alerted — they will go an try and retrieve the errant scooters.
"Lime picks up any scooters found in waterways or other unreachable areas as soon as we are alerted to their location."
This story was first published 6/18/19 11:30 AM
Related Articles
- Scooter Land in Providence - No Helmet, Under 18, Drive on the Sidewalk - No Worries
- Kaplan Says Driverless Cars, Bird Scooters and Shared Bikes are Just the Beginning
- Bird Scooters Not Welcome: Boston Mayor Warns They Will Be Taken to Tow Yard
- Bird Scooters: Next Big Thing or Flop for Providence?
- Bird Scooters Need “Common Sense” Regulation, Says AG Candidate Neronha on LIVE
- Bird Scooter Regulations Could Net Prov $124k, But Is There Any Enforcement?
- Uber Files Papers for IPO and May Buy Bird or Lime Scooter Company
- Scooters Return to Providence—Will Personal Injury Lawsuits Follow?
- NEW: Bird Scooters Back in Providence - Lime Scooters Arrive
- NEW: Bird Scooters Pulled From Providence Streets
- E-Scooter Injuries Pile-Up Across the Country and in RI - Drunk, Underage and No Helmets
