Houstonians can no longer rent scooters late at night

In a significant blow to a booming scooter rental industry, the Houston City Council on Wednesday enacted a curfew on “micromobility devices” from 8 p. m. to 4 a. m. across the city. “This has been a challenge in the downtown area for some time,” said council member Joaquin Martinez, who represents the area. “We’ve seen a lot of joyriding in downtown when it comes to scooters letter to get local reports like this delivered directly to your inbox. “Personally owned vehicles” are exempt from the curfew “for certain commuting purposes,” according to the agenda item. The curfew applies to both electric and foot-powered scooters. The measure also bans rentals from tents and other “temporary structures” a common tactic by popup vendors. While the new regulations represent a walkback from what was initially proposed as a full ban in the central urban core, the scooter rental industry has previously expressed consternation about a curfew at night the busiest hours for the business. “It’s technically the safest time to operate because there’s less cars in the road there’s less pedestrians so if safety is a concern, that’s typically better for scooter rental because there’s less traffic,” Abraham Levitz, co-owner of scooter rental business EYRD, told Houston Public Media in August. “It’s very hot here in Houston and very humid, so the reason why you see a lot of people riding at night as well is because it’s a lot more comfortable to be outside.” According to a coalition of scooter rental companies that advocated against the ban, total rentals across three leading brick-and-mortar vendors soared from about 86, 000 in 2021 to more than 176, 000 in 2024. According to the city, from 2021 through 2025, 51 riders received citations, about 3, 000 received warnings, five guns were seized and eight people were arrested. Council member Julian Ramirez expressed his intention to tag the item, which would have pushed it back until the next meeting on Dec. 3. But in a rare move, other council members threatened to override his tag, forcing a vote. In a tense exchange with Whitmire, Ramirez said he supported the revised proposal, but council members and residents didn’t have access to details on the curfew and regulation until Friday. “What’s the greater good?” Whitmire said. “You do realize the danger you’re putting those Houstonians to and the disruption of our holiday season. I think that’s a false choice, frankly,” Ramirez responded. “I think transparency is paramount in government.” After a 15-minute recess, Ramirez withdrew his tag with the understanding that a committee meeting would be held in early December for further public engagement followed by potential amendments. He ultimately voted in favor of the item, along with 11 other council members and the mayor. The nighttime ban might not be the last action on scooters in the downtown area. Council member Twila Carter expressed support for a full ban in the central urban core, while Martinez expressed support for a city-contracted vendor “that could also ensure that we could still have micromobility within downtown.”.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/city-of-houston/2025/11/19/536590/scooter-curfew-houston-city-council-rentals/