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Apr 22, 2023

Electric scooters are coming back to Dallas

This was a common scene last time Dallas had rentable scooters. Photo: Tasha

This was a common scene last time Dallas had rentable scooters. Photo: Tasha "Scoots McGoots" Tsiaperas/Axios

Scooters are back, back again.

Driving the news: Rentable electric scooters and e-bikes will be available in Dallas starting Wednesday.

Why it matters: It will be the first time scooters can be rented in Dallas since September 2020, when city officials made vendors take them off the streets because of safety issues, among other complaints.

State of play: The great scooter removal was supposed to be temporary. City leaders began discussing plans to return them last year.

Flashback: Before there were scooter problems, there were thousands of dockless bikes scattered throughout the city, abandoned in creeks and dumped on the side of the road.

How it works: Scooters and e-bikes will be rentable from 5am-9pm. Riding is prohibited in parks and on trails.

Of note: The city's non-emergency line, 311, has added a new category for scooter and e-bike problems.

Meanwhile: Unlike Dallas, Fort Worth's bike sharing program uses docks, meaning riders can only return the bicycles to certain locations.

What we're watching: How long will it take before the first scooters from this new batch end up in the Trinity River?

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