COLLEGE PLACE, Wash. — College Place, Washington, will soon see commuters on scooters riding through town, providing a new travel option for city residents.

The city joins Pendleton and Hermiston, and more than 100 other cities in allowing the app-based Bird electric scooters into its city limits.

The Walla Walla City Council was briefed on the same scooters on Monday, April 12, at its virtual work session and will consider allowing them into city limits as well, which would allow the residents of both College Place and Walla Walla to use the scooters to get to and from both cities.

In College Place, the Youth Advisory Commission, Park, Arbor and Recreation Board, and Economic Development, Tourism and Events Commission recommended that the council approve the resolution. The city council had many of its questions answered at its previous work session.

The College Place City Council unanimously passed the resolution authorizing a Memorandum of Understanding with Bird Rides Inc. to operate in the city of College Place on Tuesday, April 13, at its virtual meeting with council members Melodie Selby and Heather Schermann absent.

“Really, this agreement’s in our favor … they’re taking the risk,” City Administrator Mike Rizzitiello said.

The city would not be liable for the scooters or own and maintain them and can terminate the agreement with 30 days’ notice.

Bird Rides, Inc., an electric vehicle sharing company, supplying the environmentally-friendly transportation, will assign 50 scooters to College Place.

A local operator hired by the company will run the system and pick up the scooters at 10 p.m. every night, recharge them to put them back on the streets at 6 a.m., Rizzitiello said.

The operator will be responsible for repairing any broken scooters and sanitizing them for COVID-19 protocols.

They would also strategically place the scooters in high-demand areas within the community and move them from low-demand areas back to high-demand areas.

The company will roll out the scooters within one to two months, Rizzitiello said.

He said he imagines the scooters will be available around the College Avenue corridor, near the Walla Walla University campus on the city’s right of way, and around the Meadowbrook area.

According to the memorandum, scooters are to be ridden on streets, and where available, in bike lanes and bike paths. They are to stay to the right of street lanes and offer the right of way to bicycles in bike lanes and on bike paths.

Riders must be 18 or older and can be subject to fines by the city consistent with cyclists’ fines.

No council members expressed opposition to the resolution.