Wichita electric scooters could soon be available overnight

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – In Wichita, electric scooter rentals may soon be operable at night.

According to city leaders, electric scooters were first brought to Wichita in 2019, but with some restrictions, according to Wichita City Council member Brandon Johnson.

People could only ride from dawn until dusk or 9 p.m., whichever came first. Those restrictions are still in place, but on Tuesday, the council is expected to vote on whether to lift them.

City leaders say easing limitations could help increase walkability downtown. They also say it could encourage more usage of the scooters.

“At nighttime, when we want to do something, get around something, scooters would be preferable,” said Oscar Perez, who uses the scooters and supports them being operable at night.

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“I really like how they have a time, and it gets locked and everything because it just lets other people know, hey, I could get an Uber, a different type of transportation,” said Liz Meza, a parent.

Meza said having the scooters unlocked at night could create issues with people driving them while drunk.

Johnson did not say that was a concern city leaders are looking into. He said, however, that the city wants to require scooters to have lights and reflectors on them to increase visibility at night. Johnson said those lights and reflectors will likely be paid for by the scooter companies as a requirement for them to be able to have their scooters operate after dark.

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