Cincinnati could have more electric scooters on the road this summer. Companies Bird and Lime already have e-scooters operating in downtown, Over-the-Rhine and four other neighborhoods. Bird has also set up shop in Newport and Covington. Now, Cincinnati City Council has recommended that Bird be allowed to expand into Evanston, Avondale and North Avondale.
The addition of 200 e-scooters would not only bring more opportunity for riders but also for the gig economy. Bird and Lime rely on freelance contractors to charge their fleet of e-scooters. But, increasingly, contractors are reporting their profit margins are growing slimmer as the price they receive per charge has dropped in recent months.
Safety is another concern as more electric scooters hit the streets. A new study out of Los Angeles documented emergency room visits over a one-year period and found more people were injured on an e-scooter than on a bike or while walking.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss these injury statistics and the changes electric scooters have brought to our city are UCLA Health Emergency Medicine Physician Tarak Trivedi, MD; Owner and Founder of The Rideshare Guy Blog and Podcast Harry Campbell; Cincinnati City Councilmember Christopher Seelbach; Enquirer Transportation Reporter Hannah Sparling (@hksparling); and WCPO Transportation Reporter Pat LaFleur (@pat_laFleur).
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