Title
Approving the agreement with Bird to provide e-scooter sharing services for the 2020 scooter season.
Body
WHEREAS, Mayor Carter’s Administration and the City of Saint Paul value innovation, resilience, and equity, including in transportation options; and
WHEREAS, electric-assist scooters ("e-scooters") are an emerging new mobility option that has proven very popular in other cities across the U.S. and internationally for moving around town using a low-carbon mobility option; and
WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul permitted e-scooter sharing programs in 2018 and 2019 and has determined that the e-scooters served an important and valuable transportation service for Saint Paul residents and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the City desires to continue to permit e-scooters to operate on city property in 2020 by entering into agreements with up to two e-scooter vendors to operate a total of up to 2,000 e-scooters; and
WHEREAS, the agreement for the 2020 season limits the number of e-scooters permitted in the downtown area and requires a minimum percent of the e-scooter fleet be distributed throughout Areas of Concentrated Poverty; and
WHEREAS; the agreement for the 2020 season requires regular sanitation of scooters to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and
WHEREAS; the agreement for the 2020 season allows the City to require the e-scooter vendor to remove all e-scooters from the public right-of-way within 24 hours if determined to pose a threat to public safety due to COVID-19 or civil unrest; and
WHEREAS, per Chapter 141 of the Legislative Code regulating Shared Transportation Systems, vendors are required to have a contract with the City to operate, and that contract must be approved by City Council; and
WHEREAS, the City solicited applications from e-scooter vendors to provide e-scooter sharing services for the 2020 season; and
WHEREAS the city received an application from Bird to provide e-scooter sharing services and they are willing to comply with Ci...
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