Scooter company accused of violating contract with Columbia
The City of Columbia sent the company that operates Bird Scooters a letter stating they are in default of their contract with the city.
The letter was sent Wednesday by Director of Public Works David Nichols.
Nichols attached an email from Assistant City Councelor Jose Caldera to Bird, saying he saw scooters being ridden downtown at 8:51 p.m. which is after the time they agreed the scooters cannot be used.
According to the email, the agreement between Bird and the city states the scooters cannot be operated after dusk or 8 p.m. whichever is later.
The letter also states Bird is also required to pay a quarterly fee as part of the operating agreement. The last payment was due to the city on Tuesday, but the letter states Columbia didn’t receive payment until Wednesday morning. Nichols stated in the letter that the city considers the late payment a violation of the contract.
Nichols’ letter states Bird is violating the agreement, and is in default. If Bird does not fix the violation within three business days of recieving the letter, the city has the right to end the agreement.
If Columbia decides to terminate the contract, Bird will have two days to remove all scooters from the city streets, or else the city will remove them at the company’s expense.
