The City of Auburn has issued a cease and desist letter to Bird scooters, which the company agreed to, according to a statement from the City of Auburn.
City officials and representatives from Bird, an electric scooter sharing company, met Tuesday to discuss Bird’s Auburn roll-out in August and the company’s future in Auburn.
Bird’s ability to operate in Auburn is limited because of public safety and right-of-way usage related state and local laws. Their scooters are not street legal because they do not have safety equipment such as lights, mirrors, turn signals or tags, in accordance with Alabama law.
Alabama state law also prohibits driving a vehicle on a sidewalk and states a company must obtain a franchise agreement with a city in order to use public rights of way. This means that Bird needs to obtain a franchise with the City of Auburn in order to use the rights of way in Auburn.
Bird began operating in Auburn without a business license on Aug. 28 as a part of their University Pop-up tour. The City of Auburn told Bird they must cease operations and collect all of their scooters. The city began impounding the scooters after giving the company time to collect them.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
