Electric Scooter Company Leaves Somerville

SOMERVILLE, MA – Electric scooter company Bird is leaving Somerville and Cambridge after suddenly appearing in the cities last month to the chagrin of local officials. The company allows people to rent scooters through a smartphone app for $1 per ride, plus 15 cents a minute.

Officials in both cities sent cease-and-desist letters to Bird, claiming the company was in violation of rules about blocking sidewalks and doing business on public ways without a permit, according to the Boston Globe. The scooters also do not have blinkers or brake lights, which the municipalities argued violates state law.

Bird told the Globe it is leaving Somerville and Cambridge as a "show of good faith."

Read more from the Boston Globe.

Photo: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images