Bundles of red Razor electric scooters were sprinkled across Long Beach on Thursday evening, the first batch to hit the ground as part of the city’s pilot program.

It’s a first for both Razor and Long Beach, as the company announced Friday that its Long Beach unveiling marks the launch of its own dockless electric scooter share program.

Long Beach’s foray into scooter sharing comes at a time when other cities’ tales have already begun to taint the brand of electric scooters everywhere. In San Francisco, Santa Monica, Venice and elsewhere, scooters have become inseparable from their unchecked riders, zooming along sidewalks and through congested roadways, only to ditch them by littering walkways and storefronts. So how will Long Beach dodge the same fate?

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Razor launched its Razor Share program in Long Beach on Friday, August. 3, 2018. The company provided demonstrations at Promenade & Broadway for citizens passing by. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Razor launched its Razor Share program in Long Beach on Friday, August. 3, 2018. The company provided demonstrations at Promenade & Broadway for citizens passing by. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Razor COO, Danny Simon rides by as the company launched the Razor Share program in Long Beach on Friday, August. 3, 2018. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

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Razor launched its Razor Share program in Long Beach on Friday, August. 3, 2018. The company provided demonstrations at Promenade & Broadway for citizens passing by. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Razor launched its Razor Share electric scooter program in Long Beach on Friday, August 3, 2018. (Hayley Munguia/SCNG)



Long Beach has started installing “drop zones” for its electric scooter program. The city expects scooters to hit the streets this week. This location was at Harvey Milk Promande Park on 3rd St. on Wednesday, August 1, 2018. (Photo by Dean Musgrove, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

Alma Maldonado tries out a Razor scooter in Long Beach on Friday, August. 3, 2018. The company launched its Razor Share program in Long Beach and provided demonstrations to citizens passing by. (Photo by Brittany Murray, Press-Telegram/SCNG)

According to the city, moving slowly is the key. It took a month for the first permit to be approved and active, and five more permit applications are currently being processed. Although companies all have to undergo vetting, their access to the city is only guaranteed to last through the end of October, when the pilot program ends.

The plan is for City Council to then use input gathered throughout the pilot period to determine the program’s ultimate fate, although the city has been tight-lipped about how that may unfold.

For Danny Simon, Razor USA’s chief operating officer, Long Beach seems to have been more open about the post-October possibilities.

“We’ve heard a variety of scenarios that could happen” once the pilot program ends, he said. But no matter what the city decides, he said, Razor will cooperate.

“We’re hoping (the pilot program) rolls seamlessly into a more longer-term program, but again, we’re willing to work with the city in whatever way is best,” Simon said.

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Simon said he also hopes to circumvent the negative associations.

“There’s a few things we’re doing differently” than other companies, he said. “Our goal is to truly be proactive with the scooters, how they are positioned around the city – to resolve complaints before they happen.”

Simon said one of the ways the company hopes to dodge criticism is by providing on-the-ground staff around the city to help riders troubleshoot the new gadgets, return them to designated drop zones, and inspect and maintain them every evening.

“Every scooter that gets put out on the street every morning – we know it’s a quality scooter, every time,” he said.

While that may be a standard that Razor plans to maintain regardless of where it expands, the company’s decision to provide daily maintenance and to return their products back to designated drop zones every evening also happens to be a Long Beach requirement.

“We’re trying to keep the public right-of-way as cleaned up as possible,” Michelle Mowery, the city’s Mobility and Healthy Living Programs officer, said of the stipulation.

Mowery said she can’t provide the names of other companies while they’re in the midst of the permitting process, but she was clear on the rules they will have to follow.

In addition to the maintenance and drop zones, the companies must provide a maximum of 150 scooters and disperse at least 20 percent of their fleet in three different city zones. Companies can apply for a second permit, which would allow them a cap of 300 scooters, but they would still have to keep at least 20 percent of them in each zone.

Companies also have to provide riders with free helmets within 24 hours of a request, respond to complaints of misplaced scooters within two hours and provide a monthly report to the city on trip data, user demographics and contacts with police, among other requirements.

Long Beach’s decision to regulate ahead of time is likely to save it from the headaches that cities like Los Angeles and El Segundo are experiencing as they try to backtrack and pass laws after scooters have already proliferated.

This week, a Los Angeles City Councilman attempted to place a temporary ban on scooters until regulations are passed, and El Segundo has created its own pilot program — after both Bird and Lime scooters showed up unpermitted earlier this summer.

For Simon’s part, he said none of Long Beach’s provisions proved overly burdensome.

“The interesting thing about these programs is, for many cities, it’s a new thing they’re trying to wrap their arms around,” he said. Long Beach has been “really helpful and allowed us to have an open channel of communication, so overall, we’ve been very happy with it.”

When it comes to selling the service to Long Beach residents, the city says scooters are just another tool in the zero-emission belt. As Long Beach powers ahead with its sustainable transit plans, scooters seem like an obvious addition.

But preempting backlash is still paramount. Before Razor arrived on the scene, Mayor Robert Garcia embarked on his own PR campaign for the program.

I’ve read almost every article about these scooters and understand the concerns – which is why we are piloting a program that takes best practices from other cities. This is not a perfect science and adjustments will need to be made as we go. — Robert Garcia (@RobertGarciaLB) July 23, 2018

“We are watching the scooter pilot closely to address any challenges that arise so we can see if this innovative form of transportation can work for Long Beach residents and visitors,” the mayor said Friday.

It’s unclear when the other companies will roll out their own fleets, but for now, Razor will stand in as Long Beach’s attempt to get right what so many other cities have gotten wrong.

Riders who want to test the waters along with the city can do so for free as Razor celebrates its rollout. Long Beach riders’ first three rides will be free, up to 15 minutes per ride. If those rides go beyond 15 minutes, riders will be charged the standard rate of 15 cents per minute.

After those free rides, the service costs $1 to start per use and 15 cents for every additional minute. Riders must be at least 18, have a valid driver’s license and wear a helmet.

To use the scooters, riders must download the Razor Share app, which shows a map of scooter locations and can scan the scooter’s barcode to activate it for use.

Simon said Razor plans to host community events throughout Long Beach in the next week, where residents can test out the scooters and receive the requisite free helmet. Details of those events have not yet been released.