Bird is a micromobility company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in September 2017 Bird operates shared electric scooters in over 100 cities in Europe, the Middle East, and North America with 10 million rides in its first year of operation.  Bird is a last-mile, stand-up electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally-friendly transportation solutions. They currently serve almost 40 cities in the United States and are expanding outside of the Minneapolis area into the suburbs.  They have approached a number of cities in the suburban markets, including Savage.  They are proposing to operate only during the warmer months.

Through the Bird smartphone app, riders can see the closest Bird Scooter on a map, unlock it, complete the safety tutorial and ride directly to their desired destination. Scooters go up to 15 MPH. It costs $1 to start, then a per minute fee.

Bird would provide a local fleet manager who would be responsible for rebalancing and moving vehicles throughout the city during operating hours. They pay attention to areas of scooter congestion as well as demand throughout the day, and rebalance vehicles accordingly.  They also repair and replace scooters as necessary.

On the rider side, riders are required to take a photo of their appropriately parked Bird after each ride, which adds a layer of accountability. Bird can also show any bike racks or designated scooter parking infrastructure that a city may have in place within the Bird app for riders to see as they end their ride so that scooters are properly returned. 

The city attorney suggests that if Council would like to move forward, we consider a one-year MOU for 2022 and negotiate off the provided MOU.  Minnesota State Statutes already regulate the use of motorized foot scooters.  After the trial period, the city could chose to enact additional regulations.