Court upholds City of Asheville’s right to ban motorized scooter services

Asheville City News -- An April 2 judgment in Buncombe County Superior Court affirms the City of Asheville’s right to prohibit motorized scooter services from operating in the City without permission.

Article Posted by Polly McDaniel April 8, 2019 


The judgment entered by Superior Court Judge Alan Thornburg provides a final resolution to the lawsuit initiated by the City following Bird Rides’ unauthorized October 2018 deployment of 200 scooters around the City of Asheville. Judge Thornburg had previously issued a Temporary Restraining Order against Bird Rides, requiring it to cease operations and remove its scooters from City streets.



In November, Asheville City Council prohibited the use of e-scooters in the City while the City’s Transportation department studied whether to permit the operation of bike and/or scooter share programs in Asheville.



In February, the City of Asheville surveyed residents about bike and scooter-share options. Of the 328 respondents who participated on the Open City Hall survey, 91 percent did not support the use of electric scooters in the City of Asheville.



In addition to permanently prohibiting Bird Rides from operating in Asheville unless the City expressly permits it to, the judgment requires Bird Rides to pay a $10,000 fine in relation to its previous unauthorized deployment of scooters.