Photo by Amy Martyn for The Verge
A bill in the California state legislature that shared bike and scooter companies feared would have ended their businesses has been amended.
A previous version of the bill, AB 1286, included language that would have prohibited companies like Bird, Lime, and Uber from using liability waivers — a provision these companies claimed would essentially force them to shut down if enacted. Without these waivers, shared mobility companies could be held liable for all kinds of injuries and accidents, including those resulting from poor road infrastructure, reckless driving, or negligent riders.
But after a massive outcry from the bike and scooter industry, the bill has been amended to remove the language regarding liability waivers — thus…