Dockless rides keep landing in Hub
Dozens of abandoned dockless bikes and scooters are popping up in Boston, despite the city’s opposition to them — and one city councilor says the fact that people are riding them here anyway supports his push to adopt the services.
According to City Hall’s 311 call records, 211 abandoned dockless bikes and scooters were reported over the past year. Dockless vehicles are rentals that are left on streets and sidewalks but can only be unlocked and used when activated through a rideshare service’s app.
Mayor Martin J. Walsh has been critical of dockless transportation vehicles popping up in the city in the past, telling the Herald in July that: “They can’t just show up here. There has to be some regulation of what’s going to happen.”
District 6 City Councilor Matthew O’Malley has said the city should consider introducing dockless scooters. O’Malley has called for a hearing to look into bringing the scooters to Boston, which is expected to be held some time in the fall.
City Hall currently has an agreement with a docked biking system, Blue Bikes, that doesn’t allow any dockless bike competitors in the city. O’Malley, however, says that dockless motorized scooters are not covered by that agreement.
In July, the Herald reported that one electric rental scooter company, Bird, was operating unregulated in Cambridge and Somerville. After the two cities sent cease-and-desist letters to the company, it voluntarily left last week, but said it may seek to return.
O’Malley said he believes that dockless scooters are less likely to be left cluttering city streets and sidewalks than bikes are.
“While I do understand the concerns that dockless transportation vehicles do pose, electric scooters are much better prepared,” O’Malley told the Herald yesterday. “My concern is less because the electric scooter companies literally go around and collect scooters and charge them overnight.
“Why I want to hold a hearing is to put in some guidelines and allow for a smart and strategic employment. We need to have proper protocols and procedures in place.”
The mayor’s office did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.