Ah I finally get all the huff about this, cant use them on sidewalks, cant technically use them on the road.
Basically a mode of transportation that noone really knows how it fits into society.
My wife said it reminds her of the history of the first motorcars. No real regulation and most people don't know how to work with them.
Here in the US scooters can be operated on the road like Bicycles. Anything (even a bicycle with a assist motor) over a certain cc or mph are supposed to have a drivers permit (not motorcycle specific). Not quite sure but at some juncture even the scooters require a motorcycle specific license/permit at a cc or mph limit. Skateboards, Segway, hover board etc. are all supposed to be off limits to sidewalks but enforcement is an issue.
In Tennessee, these little buggers are exempt from licensing because they are excluded from motor vehicle definition -
"Motor vehicle" means every vehicle that is self-propelled, excluding electric scooters, motorized bicycles, and every vehicle that is propelled by electric power obtained from overhead trolley wires.
But this incident was in California and they define motor vehicle like this-
(a) A “motor vehicle” is a vehicle that is self-propelled.
(b) “Motor vehicle” does not include a self-propelled wheelchair, motorized tricycle, or motorized quadricycle, if operated by a person who, by reason of physical disability, is otherwise unable to move about as a pedestrian.
So it makes sense why the companies I use (Bird and Lime) require a driver's license to rent one. They were both started in California
Still, over 200 at $1 unlock plus about .26 per minute in L.A. is a good chunk of money for a protest or whatever this was.