The motivation behind the idea seems reasonable enough but, as always, the devil will be in the details. Obtaining one of these permits could be as simple as p

The motivation behind the idea seems reasonable enough but, as always, the devil will be in the details. Obtaining one of these permits could be as simple as posting a cleanup bond for the case your company fails. Or it could be a giant bureaucratic maze of red tape. Or it could be a ban by another name. There’s also the question of identifying what is and isn’t “emerging technology”. Arguably the scooter companies could already be liable under well-crafted littering or public nuisance laws[1], or maybe something like incitement to litter. Uber relied on differential rules for street hailing vs. pre-ordered rides to avoid buying taxi medallions in the early days, using only already-licensed car services. Tech companies’ private bus services were/are controversial, and use no new technology at all: just internal combustion, human drivers, fixed routes, and a regular timetable. Which of these would have needed one of the new permits, and would they be able obtain one? 1) I have no idea if today’s version of these laws is capable of this or not.