Motorized scooters are not returning to Omaha for a second pilot program this summer. The Omaha City Council has voted not to award contracts to scooter companies Bird and Spin.
Council members and residents expressed concerns about enforcement of scooter rules, the use of helmets and the impacts of sharing scooters during a pandemic.
"With the COVID pandemic going on right now and with the fact that you have multiple riders per day using the same units. And with the other pressing issues going on in our city. The thought creeps in my mind. Really? Right now? This is what we need to be doing? Scooters," Council Member Chris Jerram asked.
City council members also said the placement of scooters throughout the city was a concern. Councilmember Ben Gray said there were no scooters placed in North Omaha during the first pilot program last summer.
Before the vote, many council members said they did not feel like they were given enough time to make a decision.
"That’s the parking and mobility and administration coming at the last minute to us and then rushing us to make decisions that should’ve been done in a collaborative way," Jerram says.