There will likely be a lot more scooters cruising around the Culver City Real Estate area in the next few months. The Culver City Council has signed off on an interim agreement that will allow the scooter-sharing company Bird to operate within city limits.
Bird uses an app that is similar to other ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft. However, instead of using the app to request a ride, Bird allows users to rent electric scooters to get from one destination to another.
The agreement between the Culver City Council and Bird allows the company to deploy up to 200 scooters within city limits to start with.
The Council’s decision was made at the beginning of July. At that time they also authorized the city to negotiate an agreement with Bird competitor Lime, which will operate a similar business in the city. Martin Feinberg, Realtor, notes that the agreements will be in place until the city creates an ordinance that can govern popular rideshare businesses.
According to Bird spokesman Tim Harter, in order for a customer to use the company’s app, they must provide a valid driver’s license and be at least 18 years old.
It will cost customers a dollar to rent a scooter and then they must pay 15 cents per minute until they are done with the scooter and turn it back in.
There are similar programs that operate in surrounding communities, including Santa Monica. In those area though there has been some pushback with the idea. West Hollywood recently voted to ban motorized scooter companies from operating in the city.
Local listing agent Martin Feinberg encourages all who take advantage of Bird scooters to be sure and follow existing laws. Scooters are banned from being used on sidewalks and also on streets that have a posted speed limit greater than 25 miles per hour, unless the road has a designated bike lane.
