Some feathers ruffled as Bird scooters land in Raleigh

The latest trend in transportation has just hit the streets of Raleigh.

Electric scooters from Bird landed in the city Wednesday and, although CNN reports the company is worth $2 billion, cities across the country say they’re trouble.

The scooters have no docking stations, so while there are rules about where riders should leave them, sometimes people will just leave them anywhere on the street.

“I woke up and I came outside and there was one sitting like right over there and I was like ‘no way, I guess they’re in Raleigh,’” North Carolina State University senior Anton Lima said.

For Lima, the scooters are convenient.

“You just open the app and you hit ride,” he said.

It takes seconds to download the app, scan your driver’s license and add your credit card. Then, you get a map of every Bird in the area.

“All you do it scan it right there and unlock,” Lima said.

It costs $1 to unlock the bike and 15 cents for every minute you ride, but Lima says the cost evens out.

“Instead of paying for parking and the gas and everything like that, just take one of these and drop it wherever you want,” he said.

It only takes a quick online search to find Bird, a Los Angeles-based company, hasn’t quite been flying under the radar and with the craze comes controversy.

A mother and daughter riding on one scooter in San Diego were seriously injured on a Mission Beach boardwalk in June.

Plus, the scooters show up without permits, leaving cities scrambling to come up with regulations. They’re banned in cities like Denver and more than 400 Bird scooters were seized in Nashville until the city can come up with regulations.

As for Raleigh, city officials said they’re assessing the situation to determine the best course of action. The Downtown Raleigh Alliance is asking riders to follow Bird’s safety guidelines.

“I could see why this could be controversial, but I don’t think it’s as big of a problem as people are making it out to be,” Lima said. “It’s new and people are upset about it. It happens to everything.”

Most people riding the scooters do not wear helmets, but riders can get one through the app, they just have to pay for shipping.

Durham city leaders said Bird, as well as other companies, have expressed interest in deploying scooters in the Bull City as well.

City leaders said they plan to make a recommendation to the City Council in the fall. At the same time, they will discuss modifications to their dockless bike-share permit process.