New e-scooter company to replace Bird and Lime in Raleigh

Bird and Lime scooters in Raleigh will be replaced with a new electric scooter company called Gotcha, the city Council announced Tuesday afternoon.

Gotcha, a South Carolina-based company, will deploy 500 scooters this summer. The program is currently in use on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus, as well as in the cities of Nashville, Tenn. and Atlanta.

If the company meets certain requirements approved by city leaders on Tuesday, the city of Raleigh may allow up to 1,000 scooters.

Electric scooters have gained popularity because of their convenience. They give riders the ability to reserve them on a mobile app and charge riders only for how long they are on the scooter.

Besides Gotcha, companies like Spin, Bolt, Lyft and Veoride each applied to operate in Raleigh. The city's Transportation Director Michael Moore said Gotcha was chosen over its competition because of its positive reviews. The company's staff will also be local, which could lead to more consistent service outcomes.

The staff will be in charge of maintenance on the scooters and for picking up scooters to charge them overnight. Bird and Lime scooters, however, are found lying around the city wherever the last rider decided to stop.

Bird and Lime did not submit proposals, citing costs and regulations imposed by the city. The House approved a bill that classified the scooters as vehicles, so cities could not ban them outright, but allowing the city to regulate its usage, like preventing people from riding on city sidewalks and prohibiting scooter companies from public safety grounds.

"Despite our efforts to partner in good faith, the city has decided to impose some of the most onerous regulations in the country, and unfortunately, we cannot continue to operate under such restrictive rules," Todd O'Boyle, the spokesman for Lime said in a statement in March.

"Our time in Raleigh must come to a close, but we hope to return in the future when city officials are ready to be more amenable to our business and industry as well as the needs of their constituents," said Sam Reed, the spokesman for Bird.

When the city asked for proposals for scooter operations to serve the city, Bird and Lime didn't participate.

A bill still pending in the General Assembly would classify scooters as vehicles, meaning cities could not ban them outright. But the measure would allow cities to regulate usage, like preventing people from riding on city sidewalks and prohibiting scooter companies on public safety grounds.

Raleigh's evaluation committee, consisting of representatives from the Departments of Transportation, Information Technology and the Raleigh Police Department, had to pick up to four scooter companies that "demonstrated the ability to safely and responsibly provide Dockless Scooter System service." The recommendations were later whittled down to Gotcha.

Gotcha will have to pay an annual fee of $300 per scooter, but that price may lower if more scooters are introduced to Raleigh, officials said.

There are 150 Lime scooters and 500 Bird scooters remaining in Raleigh until the end of July. Lime will continue to operate on North Carolina State University's campus following the end of July.