California's Birds hit El Paso's streets and sidewalks Friday before El Paso's Glides could start rolling.

Bird, a Los Angeles area-based electric scooter rental service, dropped its black scooters around Downtown and at UTEP Friday afternoon.

Meanwhile, an El Paso city official said no electric scooter rental service is yet allowed to operate on city streets and sidewalks, and code-enforcement officers have been told to pick up the scooters.

Several people were riding the Bird scooters on Downtown streets and sidewalks Friday afternoon. Several Bird scooters were parked outside Downtown restaurants and other buildings.

Bird got a step ahead of Glide Scooter Sharing, an El Paso company that announced early in October that it would begin its scooter rentals soon.

Glide officials hope to have their scooters in operation by the end of the year -- after they work with the city to come up with a mechanism for electric-scooter rental services to operate in El Paso, according to a company statement released Saturday.

More: El Paso's first electric scooter rental service launching as scooter craze rolls across US

City code enforcers told to remove Birds

"I reached out to a member of the Bird team (in Houston) and told them they are not permitted (to operate) on our streets and sidewalks and they need to make plans to remove the scooters immediately," said Philip Etiwe, director of the city Planning and Inspections Department.

"I told code enforcement (officers) to remove them (scooters) if they see them," Etiwe said.

A city ordinance does not allow the electric scooter services to operate here, he said.

City officials working on scooter regulations

The city manager has told Etiwe and his staff to come up with standards for the electric scooter rental services to operate in El Paso, Etiwe said. He and his staff have been talking to Glide representatives about coming up with a mechanism for electric scooter rental services to operate here, Etiwe said.

Any proposal will have to go to City Council for approval, he said. There's no timeline for getting something to City Council, he said. However, Glide officials said they expect a proposal to go to City Council in November.

More: New electric scooter rental service may need city permit to operate, El Paso official says

Electric scooter rental services have become popular since companies began operating around the country in 2017.

The scooter craze has stirred regulation controversies across the country.

Denver, San Francisco, Austin and other cities ordered national scooter companies to stop operating in their cities, and then passed pilot scooter-permit programs, according to published reports.

Former Uber executive founded Bird

Bird was started in 2017 by Travis VanderZanden, who previously was an executive at car-ride services Uber and Lyft.

It operates in almost 70 cities in the United States and in six cities around the world, including Mexico City, according to the company's website.

Bird and Lime, another national scooter-rental company, dropped thousands of scooters in cities and built customer demand before officials in those cities had time to react, according to published reports.

"Bird has landed in El Paso today, bringing our fleet of electric scooters to help meet the need for improved transit options that are affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly," the company announced in an email.

Bird seeks 'city partnership,' statement says

"We are thrilled to help support the city as it advances its goals around traffic reduction and sustainability, and we look forward to growing a partnership with city officials and community leaders," the statement said.

Bird officials declined to comment about the city official's order to stop operating here.

Glide CEO Jonathan Lopez, in a statement released Saturday, said, "Glide’s objective, is to create a transparent and cooperative relationship with the city of El Paso to ensure the safety and long-term success of the scooters for the community’s benefit."

The company's agreement with the city is to include established response times to complaints about electric scooters and a continuous communications campaign to encourage responsible usage, Lopez said.

Bird rents scooters via a phone app during daylight hours for $1 to start a ride and 20 cents per minute. Its scooters are picked up each night. Glide has the same operating plan.

Two bird employees planned to hold a scooter demonstration Friday afternoon at The Fountains at Farah shopping center in East-Central El Paso, but a security guard nixed that plan.

El Pasoans ready to ride

Dorali Licon, 37, a West Side resident, was downloading the Bird phone app so she and her friend could ride two Bird scooters parked in front of the Mills Building at Mills and Oregon in Downtown. She planned to ride the scooter wearing her glittering silver high heels.

"I never rode one (scooter) before. We parked (our car) in the Mills garage and want to ride to the Park Tavern" for lunch, Licon said. "I've ridden (the city rental) bikes in high heels."

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.