MU and City of Columbia voice concerns on scooter company

Electric rental scooters are popping up at universities and college campuses across the country.

MU spokesperson Christian Basi said the conference call between the university, representatives for the City of Columbia and a scooter company called Bird was “unproductive.”

The university was not contacted prior to the arrival of the scooters last week.

“They have been banned in several cities and at several universities,” he said.

Basi said MU is concerned over safety issues such as people riding without helmets, driving on sidewalks and getting hurt while riding.

Users locate the scooter through the Bird app, scan a barcode and pay a fee based on how long the scooter is driven.

Basi said it’s difficult to ban vehicles such as these from campus.

“We can say, ‘Don’t ride these,’ but it doesn’t mean that someone won’t,” he said.

The electric scooters are dockless, meaning users can leave them on sidewalks, streets and other locations when they are finished riding. Basi said the scooters can cause problems for people in wheelchairs or on crutches.

“We have many individuals on this campus who utilize various entrances into buildings whether that’s steps, ramps or other entrances,” he said. “If those scooters are blocking that area, they create a hazard.

He said in some cases, the “individual may not be physically able to move those scooters,” which can cause the person to lose access to the building.

Basi said MU voiced its concerns and questions to Bird and is still waiting to hear back.

Bird scooters are still on the MU campus and in Columbia.