Electric scooters are a great tool for providing alternative public transportation. Rules and regulations have been revised and improved for rideshare scooters, and they will be regulated more strictly to avoid problems that could be caused. Re-introducing scooters to Dallas will be very helpful in providing a viable means of transportation.
The two-wheeled scooters were welcomed by Dallas when they first arrived in 2018. People soon realized that they are an affordable and convenient means of transportation, and they quickly became very popular. Of course the scooters were used for entertainment purposes... they're fun! This time, there will be more oversight of when, where, and how the vehicles are used.
They never should have been banned outright. Removing scooters was just an attempt to find a quick fix for the city's existing problems. We still have crime, we still have huge sections of sidewalk needing to be repaired, and we still have traffic issues. These things haven't gone away since scooters were removed in 2020.
There are several anecdotal stories of people using rideshare scooters for drive-by type crimes such as purse snatchings, or making a quick getaway after committing a crime. While this is certainly possible, finding specific examples is nearly impossible. WUSA9 (based in Washington, D.C) published an articles with one of the most exhaustive sources of data for this supposed trend. They list five separate occurrences over the course of a year. FIVE, each in a different state. Anyone want to venture a guess as to how many cars are used in crimes?
Actually, scooters could potentially help police with their investigations. The companies keep records of who rents their scooters. Blitz rideshare E-scooters is one of the companies that wants to deploy their vehicles in Dallas. Their privacy policy states that they reserve the right to disclose information about riders "if required or permitted to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access, retention, or disclosure is reasonably necessary" for police investigations or maintaining the safety of riders and the public at large. The scooters have transponders that show where they are at any given time. This could be very useful for police in establishing timelines and routes of travel when investigating crimes.
Scooters are an easy, cheap, and eco-friendly transportation system. The potential negatives of this program can be solved by applying rules and regulations more strictly. This is going to be a great way to re-introduce the scooters, and many of us will be happy to see them again.
