E-scooters are making a comeback in Dallas. What rules should riders keep in mind?

After more than two years in retirement and several delays, electric scooters are finally making their return to Dallas.

Starting Wednesday, electric scooters and bikes will be available to rent as part of the city’s shared dock-less vehicle program re-launch, according to a city memo. E-scooters will officially be back May 31.

Scooters are making a comeback in Dallas for the first time since September 2020, when the city halted the program due to concerns about public safety and city oversight. During the initial program’s two-year run, scooters often littered the streets — endangering drivers and pedestrians.

Last year, city officials reignited their discussion on e-scooters, with original plans for them to return in fall 2022. The comeback was pushed to mid-February, but set-up and city-planning caused another delay.

The new program comes with tighter regulations to keep riders and residents safe and to curtail hazardous road conditions for motorists. A new service request category within the city’s non-emergency 311 line will go live Wednesday for people to report any issues related to e-bikes and scooters.

Additionally, instead of several different companies, the new program limits rentable scooters to just three operators. City leaders selected Bird, Lime and Superpedestrian to operate scooters in the area.

As many as 1,500 scooters could be on the streets, with each vendor permitted to run 500 scooters. Before the 2020 ban, there were 8,500 scooters on the streets.

Riders should keep some rules in mind before renting scooters, which will be available from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. for people 16 and older.

In slow-ride zones — including Deep Ellum, the West End and the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge — speeds are limited to 10 mph. Riders will not be allowed to use their scooters in no-ride zones, which includes all public parks, trails and plazas such as Klyde Warren Park, Katy Trail and AT&T Discovery District Plaza. Riding scooters on sidewalks is still banned.

At the end of their trip, riders must upload a photo of their vehicle parked properly. Riders who don’t follow these rules will face a $20 fine and can be suspended from riding for 30 days after five violations.

Helmets aren’t required to drive a scooter around Dallas.

Staff writer Everton Bailey contributed to this report.