Representatives of Lime, Spin and Bird electronic scooter companies testified in front of city council on Wednesday to advocate for an e-scooter pilot program.
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Supporters of the plan cite clean energy options and a reduction in vehicle emissions as an environmental advantage to such a program.
Advocates say dock-less e-scooters open up transportation options to low-income sections of the city with less access to public transit.
"About 30% of the rides are people getting out of cars and on to scooters and by means reducing pollution," says Shari Shapiro of Lime Scooters.
Those who oppose the idea say that a large number of scooters on city streets pose dangers. Scooters would hypothetically be driven in bike lanes and contend with vehicles.
"Some of the data suggests that they would be significantly more dangerous than biking or even riding a motorcycle," says Christopher Puchalsky of the Office of Transportation, Infrastructure & Sustainability of Philadelphia.
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Tim Allen lives in Rockville, Maryland, a town with an already established dock-less scooter program. He expressed concern about pedestrian safety, saying, "I've personally seen four or five pedestrians wiped out by a scooter on the sidewalk."
Philadelphia City Council members' hands are tied when it comes to this issue.
On Tuesday, Pennsylvania state representatives introduced a house bill to legalize the use of electronic scooters across the state.
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