Scooters are coming back to Dallas, although this time in a more regimented manner, and the city is accepting applications from companies who wish to provide service here.

It will no longer be the deliciously unregulated scooter spree that prevailed during the golden era from 2018-2020, when scooters first arrived in Dallas.

The city halted all that in September 2020 to do a reset, passing an ordinance in 2021 with a suite of regulations on scooters and electric bicycles.

There will now be docking stations, where vehicles must be parked. They can't be parked near intersections, on roadways, sidewalks, private property or public parks. After residents are done with a scooter or bike, they must take a photo to prove it was parked properly at a dock station.

There will be “No Ride Zones” like parks, plazas, and trails, and “Slow Ride Zones” like Deep Ellum.

And there are restrictions on time: They can only be used between 5 am-9 pm.

To cut down on sidewalk and street clutter, which was a big complaint, there are limits on the number of units companies can park on each block.

The city will select up to three companies to issue permits to for the 2022-2023 permit cycle, in accordance with the Program Rules adopted in August. No permit applications will be accepted for 2022-2023 after the Call for Permit Applications closes.

Companies will be allowed to deploy up to 500 devices at service launch, with the potential for that number to increase incrementally every three months based on ridership and complaint numbers.

The city of Dallas' Department of Transportation will accept applications starting October 19 until November 4. Companies that offer shared dockless vehicles to rent, like electric bicycles and scooters, will be eligible to apply for a permit. Companies interested in applying for a permit can do so online at https://dallascityhall.com/departments/transportation/Pages/dockless-vehicle-program.aspx.

"The Department of Transportation looks forward to reviewing and selecting new companies to begin the orderly operation of shared dockless vehicles in the City of Dallas,” Department of Transportation Director Ghassan Khankarli says in a release.

“We have heard from a number of residents and stakeholders who are excited for the program to return, and with the new rules in place we anticipate addressing previous concerns about the program while promoting multi-modal transportation," Khankarli says.