Dockless electric scooters from a second operator have appeared in Little Rock after city officials recently passed an ordinance establishing a new framework for the devices.
Several scooters from the company Bird were seen Sunday in the River Market area of downtown Little Rock. The first scooter company to bring its devices to the city was Lime, a little more than two years ago.
The Little Rock Board of Directors in January approved an ordinance restricting scooters to streets and bicycle lanes, where such a lane is available, as well as certain areas where riding on the sidewalk is specifically permitted. With the ordinance, city directors also set parameters for obtaining revenue from the shared-scooter companies via franchise and licensing fees.
A mayoral spokeswoman, Stephanie Jackson, confirmed Monday that 300 scooters from Bird have been authorized. Lime has 512 devices, according to Jackson.