Electric scooters a useful way to bridge the gap between public transportation and your home or work
By Tom Kocal for This Is Laramie
tkocal915@icloud.com
LARAMIE — Bird, a California-based, shared electric scooter company, will soon be bringing e-scooters to Laramie on a trial basis. The City of Laramie is partnering with Bird at no cost to the city. Scooters will be available through a mobile phone application, and riders pay per minute to use the scooter. The program is expected to begin by mid- to late August.
The Los Angeles-based company plans to offer scooters to residents and visitors in order to help reduce carbon emissions, as well as traffic congestion on roadways. The scooters also provide a safe way to get around during the pandemic and offer residents without cars another transportation option. Bird is a naturally socially-distanced way to get around.
“We are happy to welcome Bird on a trial basis to the City of Laramie and look forward to having the scooters available,” said Mayor Paul Weaver. “I hope they will be a great addition to our community.”
Weaver said the electric scooters can be used on roads and bike lanes, and have a maximum speed of 15 mph.
“We believe scooters could be a useful way to bridge the gap between public transportation and a person’s home or work. Additional transportation options can bring a lot of benefits to the City,” Weaver said. “By making safety a priority, Bird scooters bring a well-established service for our community to test drive.”
Weaver said scooters must be parked out of the way of pedestrians and must never block driveways. Riders are required to be 18 years-old and older to access the scooters. They are also encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride and are required to obey all standard rules of the road.
Bird offers several programs available for those who qualify. The Community Pricing Program offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. It’s designed to be the most inclusive micro-mobility program available anywhere. To sign up for the Community Pricing Program, download the Bird app, create an account, and email your proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
Bird also offers free rides to healthcare workers and emergency personnel. To sign up, simply email a copy of your medical identification card along with your name and phone number to together@bird.co. Eligible riders will receive two free 30-minute rides per day for as long as it takes to help our communities recover from the global health crisis.
Additional safety features and community offerings from Bird includes the “How to Bird” guide, all you need to know to safely ride, park and experience the benefits of Bird shared scooters in your city. The “Beginner Mode” feature offers a gentle acceleration mode that helps riders feel comfortable and build confidence. “Community Mode” allows anyone with a Bird account to report or provide feedback on vehicle-related issues such as poorly parked or damaged vehicles in their area. When a report is submitted, a member of the Bird team is assigned to correct the issue. Anyone can access Community Mode by tapping the yield sign on the bottom left of the Bird map.
The company can be reached directly at 1-866-205-2442 or hello@bird.co for questions or concerns about the e-scooters. More information about the company can be found at www.bird.co and www.bird.co/blog. Or you may contact the Laramie City Manager’s office at 307-721-5226 from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday.