St. Petersburg, after long look at trend, hops aboard scooter craze

A year and half on from their debut in Tampa, e-scooters make their way across the bay.

By Business Observer Staff
| 6:00 a.m. November 20, 2020
| 0 Free Articles Remaining!

Wikimedia/Alexander Migl. E-scooters are finally coming to downtown St. Petersburg. The devices have drawn criticism because riders tend to leave them strewn about on sidewalks instead of in designated corrals.

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More than a year after they arrived in Tampa, e-scooters are now available in St. Petersburg. The Sunshine City allowed e-scooter makers Razor and Veo to deploy 425 of the devices, which are allowed to operate in bike lanes and streets that have a speed limit of 30 mph or less.

Tampa allowed four companies — Uber, Bird, Lime and Spin — to offer e-scooters. St. Pete has taken a more deliberative approach, saying the devices’ usage and safety would be studied during an 18-month pilot program. If all goes well, up to 1,500 e-scooters could operate in the city’s downtown area. The devices will not be permitted on sidewalks, and they will be limited to automobile areas at the St. Pete Pier.