Personal Electric or Motor-Powered Vehicle Mobility (EMPV) System
Permit Application
This is an application to obtain an EMPV permit from the City of Lafayette, IN.
Please review all of the guidelines and instructions carefully before submitting your applications. Incomplete or inccorect applications will delay the process.
Approval & Appeal Process
After evaluating an applicant's permit application, the City of Lafayette shall either grant the permit as requested, grant the permit with modifications, or deny the permit. Where the permit is granted with modifications or denied, the City of Lafayette shall explain the basis for the decision. An applicant whose permit application is denied shall have the opportunity to request an appeal.
Submission Instructions
The City of Lafayette will only consider completed applications. Complete applications must include the following components:
- Applicant Signature & Signed Indemnification
- Completed Application Materials Section
- Submit all Required Attachments incl. photographs of equipment and certificates of Insurance
Email Contact:
Mail/In-Person:
Engineering & Public Works Department
20 N 6th Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
Permit Costs
The following payments must be made in order for a permit to be issued:
1. An annual permit fee of $1,000 due at the time of permit issuance (after approval).
2. $1.00/day per EMPV operating with the permit holder's mobility system (billed monthly).
Appendix
Vehicle and Application Specifications
1. The following information must be displayed on each scooter:
- A 24-hour customer service telephone number (for voice and text), and email address.
- Unique identificaton number that is visible to the user and nearby pedestrians that identifies both the permit holder's company and the particular scooter. This number must be submitted with a device's corresponding serial number.
2. The following advisements must be clearly visible on each scooter:
- Sidewalk riding is prohibited.
- The user shall yield to pedestrians.
- The user may not operate the scooter while intoxicated.
- The user shall park in designated areas.
3. Each scooter must be equipped with a bell, horn, or other audible signaling device.
4. The speed of a scooter shall be limited to a maximum of 15 mph.
5. If operated before or after sunset, each scooter must be equipped with the following:
- A lamp on the front, exhibiting a white light visible from a distance of at least five hundred (500) feet to the front.
- A lamp on the rear, exhibiting a red light visible from a distance of at least five hundred (500) feet to the rear.
6. The following information must be displayed on the application before a user is able to ride a scooter for the first time:
- The user shall follow all traffic laws, such as not operating on sidewalks.
- The user shall yield to pedestrians.
- The user shall follow proper parking procedures.
- The user is encourages to wear a helmet.
Data Sharing Requirements
1. Permit holder shall provide a monthly report on the second Tuesday of each month to the Cities of Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Purdue. All information listed should be submitted in one report, and seperated by each jurisdiction that contains the following:
- the maximum number fo scooters in use by users at any time in the previous month;
- the total number of users in the previous month;
- the total number of scooters in service for the previous month;
- the average number of rides per scooter per day;
- a comprehensive list of the total number of crashes reported in the previous month, including locations and times;
- maintenance records and data;
- anonymized aggregate data in the form of hear maps showing routes, trends, origins, and destinations, including trips between jurisdictions;
- anonymized trip data that include the origin and destination, trip duration distance and data and time of the trip;
- reported issues and complaints form users and the general public;
- anonymyzed banned user information;
- summary of any educational events conducted by the permit holder;
- the number of local employees and contractors that maintain a consistent and regular presence in Tippecanoe County; and
- an interpretation of the data indicating whether an increase or decrease in the number of scooters or change in scooter locations is recommended.
The City of Lafayette shall have access to a permit holder's data that accurately depicts the location of all scooters in Tippecanoe County at any one time. Such data that are required to be disclosed under this subsection shall be real time or semi-real-time scooter location data via a publicly accessible API.
Imdemnification and Insurance Requirements
- An Enterprise issued a permit under this chapter shall, as a condition of the issuance and continued validity of the permit to operate a Mobility System, indemnify, hold harmless and defend, by counsel of the City’s choosing, the City and its respective officers, agents, officials and employees for any and all third party claims, actions, causes of action, judgments and liens to the extent they arise out of any negligent or wrongful act or omission, or violation of any provision of this chapter or other law by an Enterprise or any of its offices, agents, employees and users arising from the operation, maintenance, or use of the Mobility System and the Enterprise’s EMPV(s) as well as the collection, use, misuse, or security measures related to any data obtained from or about Users of the Mobility System. Such indemnity shall include attorneys’ fees and all costs and other expenses arising therefrom or incurred in connection therewith and shall not be limited by any insurance coverage required by this chapter or otherwise carried by the enterprise. An indemnity agreement provide by the Administrative Officer shall be signed by an authorized representative of the Enterprise who is an officer or employee of the Enterprise with authority to legally bind the Enterprise. The indemnity described above shall also be applicable in all respects to any property owner who has an EMPV located on the property owner’s premises with or without permission.
- An Enterprise issued a permit under the EMPV Ordinance 2020-06 shall, as a condition of the issuance and continued validity of the permit to operate a Mobility System, purchase and maintain a policy of commercial general liability insurance that will protect it and the City from claims for damages because of bodily injury and personal injury, including death, and claims of damages to property which may arise out of or result from the operation, maintenance, or use of the Mobility System and the Enterprise’s EMPV.
- The Enterprise shall maintain the following insurance coverages: 1. General Liability (including automobile) with a per occurrence limited of $1,000,000; $2,000,000 general aggregate and $5,000,000 excess/umbrella liability. 2. Worker’s Compensation insurance at the statutory limit. Each occurrence limit of $1,000,000.
- Certificates of insurance naming the City as an additional insured showing such coverage then in force, but not less than the above amounts, shall be submitted by the Enterprise with its application for a permit under the EMPV Ordinance 2020-06 . Such certificates shall contain a provision that the policies and coverage afforded thereunder will not be canceled until at least thirty (30) days after written notice to the Administrative Officer.
- The insurance policies required under this section shall include a waiver of subrogation endorsement in favor of the City.
- The failure to maintain the bond or insurance policies required under this section throughout the entire term of a permit shall constitute a violation of the EMPV Ordinance 2020-06 and shall be considered an emergency for purposes of emergency suspension.
