TACOMA, Wash. — Electric scooters have made their way back to the city of Tacoma, and this time around, they will be placed in more areas across the city.
The city launched a pilot program in 2018, and residents were able to ride both Lime and Bird scooters.
About 400 scooters from Razor, a company based out of California, became available in Tacoma Tuesday. Eventually, the city could see as many as 750 scooters from the company on city streets.
"Razor rose to the top," said Tacoma City Councilmember Kristina Walker. "So, there were a number of things there, both on how they hire their [employees], how they distribute the scooters and focus on equity.”
In the past Tacoma had to deal with scooters being dumped in waterways or on beaches. This time around, the city is more prepared.
"Some of those things have been working with a vendor, working with our partners to figure out where those sticky issues are, and I think we're ready to go,” said Walker. “I think we've got a great plan in place.”
Scooters will have a 15 mile per hour limit, and there will be restrictions on where users can ride.
However, the city thinks residents will be happy to have this option again.
"We as a city of Tacoma are just so excited to see more people out and about and enjoying the streets and delighted that people have an additional transportation option," said Walker. "From a COVID perspective, being outside is a safe, safe activity, so it kind of fits in well with the reopening."