Bird Applauds Santa Monica for Responsive Regulatory Framework for E-Scooters

VENICE, Calif., June 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird, the leader in last-mile electric mobility, today applauded the Santa Monica City Council for unanimously passing a new regulatory framework for dockless shared mobility devices – including e-bikes and e-scooters – that will ensure there are enough vehicles to meet consumer demand and protect public safety.

Going into the City Council hearing last night, the proposed framework included a hard cap on the number of e-scooters that could be deployed. Leading up to and during the meeting, the Council heard how such a cap would have hurt the community of riders who now rely on this affordable and environmentally friendly transportation option and hurt those making extra income charging Birds. Council members recognized that limiting the number of e-scooters would move the city further away from its twin goals of reducing car congestion and carbon emissions. Instead, the Council embraced a dynamic cap based on vehicle utilization, meaning that as daily vehicle usage rates increase, more vehicles can be placed in the community to meet demand.

"By embracing a dynamic vehicle cap, Santa Monica demonstrated its national leadership in embracing new transportation options to curb cars and congestion," said Travis VanderZanden, CEO and founder of Bird. "This is a huge win for the people of Santa Monica – from the commuter who doesn't want to sit in traffic to the charger making ends meet with the extra income she makes charging Birds. We look forward to cooperating with the City to make this program work for the people of Santa Monica, and we are committed to the paramount safety goals expressed by Council."

In the past nine months, Bird has grown to be an integral part of Santa Monica's transportation infrastructure. Birds are used by many members of the community, ranging from college students to retired individuals; it's used by people rushing to the next appointment and by the thousands who rely on it as an affordable, convenient, and environmentally friendly commute option.

Since its launch there, Bird riders in Santa Monica have taken more than half a million rides. If each of those trips had instead been made in a car, almost 900,000 pounds of carbon emissions would have been needlessly released into the atmosphere – pollution that contributes to climate change.

In addition, as part of the new framework, vendors will be required "to create interactive safety education for users," share real-time utilization data with the City, and ensure equitable distribution of vehicles throughout the city – among other requirements. 

"By allowing demand to guide the supply of e-scooters, Santa Monica will ensure that Birds are available to all neighborhoods and communities in the city, and will create a culture of safe riding and parking," said VanderZanden, a Santa Monica resident. "We look forward to collaborating with the City as we work to meet rider demand and further improve the Bird safety experience throughout the community."

Riders interested in finding a Bird near them can download the app and sign up at www.birdapp.com.

About Bird

Bird is a last-mile electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to communities across the world. It provides a fleet of shared electric scooters that can be accessed via smartphone. Birds give people looking to take a short journey across town or down that "last-mile" from the subway or bus to their destination a way to do so that does not pollute the air or add to traffic. Bird works closely with the cities in which it operates so that Bird is a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is headquartered in Venice, Calif., and is rapidly expanding across the country. Follow Bird on Instagram (www.instagram.com/bird), on Twitter at @BirdRide, and find more information at www.bird.co.

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SOURCE Bird