‘Bird’ Scooters Allowed in East Lansing – Not at MSU

The Bird scooter pictured above was on the campus of Michigan State University in East Lansing, which is in violation of campus policy.

If you haven't yet heard about the 'scooter sharing' program, Wikipedia says this about it:

"Bird scooters are charged by gig workers who sign up to be "chargers"; the company sends them charging equipment, and pays them between $3 and $20 to charge the scooters overnight, then place them at designated "nests" throughout the service area in the morning. Charging can become competitive, with chargers using vans to pick up scooters all over the city.^[5] Given the widely-distributed nature of the scooters, this kind of charging system is essential to making the economics of the system work.^[6]"

WILX TV 10 reported last week that while the battery-operated scooters you can rent via an app are legally allowed in the city of East Lansing, that's not the case on the campus of MSU.

Here's what MSU Police posted on their Facebook page about the scooters:

Due to the recent use of battery operated scooters on campus, we wanted to share some information with you:

It is important to note that no motorized scooter rental company has received permission to conduct business on campus. They are doing so in violation of University ordinance.

Per Michigan law, “battery operated scooters” are identified as electric personal assistive mobility devices. At MSU, They may only operate on our 25 mph roadways, and must be ridden as near to the right side of the roadway as possible. However, they may not operate in the bike lane, as those are for the exclusive use of bicycles on campus. Operators must follow all of the laws applicable to the driver of a vehicle. For instance, they cannot be operated on a sidewalk or in the grass, and must obey all traffic control signals.

On campus, properly permitted devices may be parked in moped parking places. All others will be impounded.