So essentially if you're not fast or well connected enough to get one of those permits then you're shit out of luck? What happens if a company scooter-sharing hurts gets one of those permits to sit on? Why did this industry need a limited pilot in the first place??
"I've been having chuck steak ever since I've been on the force,' declared Alexander 'Clubber' Williams of the New York Police Department in 1876. 'Now I'm going to have a bit of tenderloin.'"
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/non_fictionreviews...
<insert car insurance sales pitch here>
Why couldn't the city couldn't just impound and auction scooters, bikes, skateboards, shopping carts that are parked illegally? They almost certainly can do this under one of the bajillion existing statutes. Don't want you crap stolen by the government, don't let your users park it in dumb places. As I understand it riding a scooter on the sidewalk is already illegal. I don't see how this is any different from bike sharing other than the form factor making them more tempting to ride on the sidewalk.