Shared electric scooters in San Francisco operate only under SFMTA's Powered Scooter Share Permit Program. Riders must be 18 or older, use bike lanes where available, and avoid sidewalks; companies are capped citywide.
Transportation Code Division II Article 916 authorizes SFMTA to permit a limited number of shared scooter operators (currently three: Lime, Lyft, and Spin) with fleet caps and equity, parking, and labor conditions. Riders must be 18+, hold a valid driver's license, and ride in bike lanes or with traffic; sidewalk riding is prohibited and triggers a $100 base fine. Scooters must be parked upright in designated scooter corrals or out of the pedestrian path. CPRA helmet recommendations apply, and operators must remove improperly parked devices within two hours of a complaint.
Sidewalk riding: $100 base fine. Parking-blockage: scooter impound plus operator daily penalty. Underage rental: account ban and $250 fine.
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