SANTA MONICA—On Wednesday, October 6, the city of Santa Monica announced in a press release that the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office and Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office settled a jointly filed consumer protection lawsuit with Wheels Labs, Inc., a shared mobility company that operates a fleet of no-pedal e-bikes. The company agreed to pay in the amount of $300,000, with a portion of those funds going to the street safety organizations Sustainable Streets and Los Angeles Walks.
Santa Monica indicated in a press release, the company is now a permitted operator in Santa Monica’s second Shared Mobility Pilot Program, Wheels Labs Inc. operated in Santa Monica without licenses and permits in violation of the prior program from February to June 2019.
“Like many burgeoning technologies, shared mobility has rapidly changed the transportation sector. But, like all companies operating in Santa Monica, shared mobility operators must comply with all local laws so that the City can provide safe streets and sidewalks for all, and ensure fair competition among companies,” said Eda Suh, Chief of the Public Rights Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office.
The settlement was handled by the Public Rights Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office and the Consumer Protection Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. The case, People vs. Wheels Labs, Inc., Case No. 21SMCV01550, was filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
For more details on shared mobility in Santa Monica, visit https://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Transportation/Shared-Mobility-Services/.
