City Attorney Shakes Down E-bikes

By Sarah Storkin, Observer Staff Writer

Santa Monica and Los Angeles has settled a jointly-filed, consumer protection lawsuit with Wheels Labs, a shared mobility company that operates a fleet of e-bikes.

Wheels Labs agreed to pay $300,000, with a portion of those funds going to safety organizations Sustainable Streets and Los Angeles Walks, local officials said this week.

Although it is now an authorized operator in Santa Monica as a participant in its second Shared Mobility Pilot Program, Wheel Labs operated in the city from February to June 2019 without licenses and permits in violation of the initial program, officials said.

“Like many burgeoning technologies, shared mobility has rapidly changed the transportation sector,” said Eda Suh, Chief of the Public Rights Division of the Santa Monica City Attorney’s Office. “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,”

This 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.

For more information on shared mobility in Santa Monica, visit the City’s website.