Houston city council considers electric scooter ban in some areas

Houston City Council considers scooter ban for some areas

Houston councilmembers are weighing the pros and cons on banning electric scooters for certain parts of the city. FOX 26's Jillian Hartmann spoke to the owner of a scooter company who attended the council meeting about the proposed ban.

HOUSTON - Electric scooters could be off limits in parts of Houston.

Right now, the city council is considering a scooter ban because of safety concerns. On Thursday, the public weighed in during the city council’s Quality-of-Life committee meeting.

City council considers electric scooter ban

What we know:

In Thursday’s meeting, Houston police and the Administration & Regulatory Affairs showed data from its Scooter Safety Task Force. 

They have issued hundreds of warnings to riders and dozens to vendors so far in 2025.  There have been arrests, guns recovered, scooters seized and citations. 

The task force targets riders engaging in criminal activity and causing nuisance. They say reckless riders are also going too fast, sometimes 40 mph, ignoring stoplights and street signs. 

In the last few years, authorities say complaints and accidents have increased.

The city council has not made a decision yet on the ban. They will review everything and revisit the issue in the coming weeks. 

City residents & workers have safety concerns

What they're saying:

Some people are calling for a complete ban while others are pushing for stronger regulations. 

Several people who live and work in the city told the committee they’ve had enough and something needs to change.

"My neighbor below was shot in the stomach by a 15-year-old kid operating a scooter," said a man who lives near Discovery Green. "This is crazy. 15-year-old kids are running around Downtown Houston on scooters shooting people. I’ve been downtown for 20 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this."

"We do not have a scooter issue, we have a violence issue and that scooter culture is lawlessness being allowed," said Kathryn Lott, the President and CEO of Discovery Green.

"Daily and late into the evenings, adults and minors ride scooters, riding at excessive speeds, often faster than vehicles on the streets," said Todd Holloman of Houston First Corporation. "Scooters on sidewalks, riding in the opposite direction against traffic and in crowded areas with no regard to safety. This is beyond nuisance and inconvenience; There’s no regard to rules or regulations, just causing chaos and harm."

"Houston, we have a problem," said a hotel employee. "Last Thursday, an employee witnessed war. People on scooters getting into a fist fight right in front of our hotel. An employee stepped in to stop the fight and that employee was me. In front of all our guests, we had to put our guests into our hotel for their safety." 

FOX 26 reached out to the mayor’s office. Mayor John Whitmire said, "I am responding to the economic and public safety concerns raised by a number of stakeholders, including Police Chief Diaz, the Discovery Green Conservancy, area hotels, restaurants, convention attendees, and Theater District customers. The majority of individuals using scooters in the area are not Houstonians, but instead come here for joyriding, rather than using them for school or work. Many scooter users disregard traffic laws, putting themselves and others at risk. The Today’s Quality of Life meeting is part of the process, and I welcome public feedback."

Local scooter company weighs in on potential ban

The other side:

A local scooter company says the ban could put them out of business.

"That would definitely put us out of business. Definitely put so many people unemployed," said Adib Baghdadi, owner of ERYD Scooter Rentals.

Baghdadi said unauthorized vendors are a problem.

"Illegal vendors aren’t a legitimate business. They don’t have safety protocols to address any issues with the riders and renting scooters on sidewalks. They are just breaking the law by being there and renting a scooter to whoever, to the minors," said Baghdadi. 

To rent a scooter here at ERYD, the owner said you have to be 18 years old and show age verification. ERYD said their scooters have a speed limit of 25 mph, and it’s important to promote safety.

"We have commercial leases, permits to operate scooter rentals and liability insurance. A reason to have the store is we want to make sure customers come here and aren’t intoxicated, educate them and provide them with safety helmets," said Baghdadi. "We are open to working with the city of Houston in terms of policy or any regulation or framework we are open to work with that."