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Changes approved for electric scooters in Indianapolis

Posted at 11:00 PM, May 10, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-10 23:01:49-04

INDIANAPOLIS — This summer you'll see more electric scooters throughout Indianapolis as the city passes new regulations.

Currently, Bird and Lime scooters are darting around the city. And soon enough, Lyft and Spin electric scooters will be in the Circle City.

The Board of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services approved new regulations for these shared mobility operators. For instance, limiting each company to 1,000 scooters, so they don't take away extra space on the street than needed.

"What we've seen through the data we've been collecting, is some dips in the utilization that would indicate that there's too many scooters on the streets," a spokesperson for BDBNS said.

It also will require the placement of the scooters, so they're moving some to what's being called, "access areas;" which are outside of the downtown area, making them more accessible to everyone. Board members say this is a good thing.

"We're not only focused on downtown when it comes to access to the last mile of transportation, we're thinking about around the city in underserved areas," one board member said.

With the four electric scooter companies and Pacers Bike Share, there's only one spot left for another shared mobility operator. The regulation will go into effect near the end of June or early July.