MILWAUKEE — Rentable electric scooters may be returning to Milwaukee after a Common Council committee voted in favor of a new pilot program Wednesday.
Thissecond pilot program would allow electric scooters to be rented using a phone app beginning this June and ending at the end of 2021.
This is the second time scooters have been allowed a test run in the city. The first pilot program allowed scooters onto city streets in 2019.
Three scooter companies, Bird, Spin and Lime, offered over 1,300 scooters during the first pilot program. The Department of Public Works logged over 2,600 daily rides during the first pilot program. There were also 56 crashes, and over 380 complaints.
The Public Works Committee approved a resolution for the 2021 pilot program Wednesday, sending it to a full council vote.
The purpose of this second pilot program is to drill down the best way of operating rentable electric scooters in the city. The scooters would join Milwaukee's rentable Bublr Bikes system.
DPW says the most pressing issue that needs to be fixed is the danger of scooters riding on sidewalks. Scooters are treated the same as bicycles, prohibited from city sidewalks.
Other issues include scooters being used on busy streets, and scooters being left on public and private property.
