Bird is honored to have been selected to participate in New York City’s first e-scooter pilot launching in the Bronx this spring. The announcement was made today by NYC DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman at a press release event in the Eastern Bronx.
This historic program is the culmination of a three-year journey at Bird that began with our first community event in Bed-Stuy in 2018. Since then, we have partnered with community organizations including the Mid-Bronx Desperadoes, alternative transportation advocacy group Blood, Sweat and Gears and many others to ensure that the diverse needs of NYC’s residents shape our approach to serving the largest city in the US.
Now it is time to put these learnings into action.
Bird is committed to being a responsible and equitable transportation partner on which the City, the NYC DOT and all New Yorkers can rely. Our vehicle offering in the Bronx will include not only our newest and most advanced e-scooter model but a selection of adaptive alternatives including a four-wheel option developed in partnership with e-mobility providers WHILL. We will also offer riders an array of riding plans like Community Pricing, Global Ride Pass and more to ensure that our service is accessible to riders on all ends of the socioeconomic spectrum.
Bird’s experience serving riders in nearby Yonkers has taught us that inter-municipal cooperation will be key to scooters’ success in New York City. As Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano wrote in January:
“There is regional demand for clean, safe transportation alternatives. For the moment, however, shared e-scooters are only permitted within Yonkers’ city limits. Residents who might otherwise use a Bird scooter to get to a train station or an appointment in a neighboring community are deprived of a perfectly good transportation option and are likely to resort to using a car instead.”
As the only scooter operator serving both Yonkers and the Bronx, we will work with leaders like Mayor Spano, Council Member Fernando Cabrera and State Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez to solve these issues. Our vision for micromobility in New York is one in which shared micro-EVs are an affordable, accessible way to connect communities to essential services, to transit lines and to each other. Starting this spring, we’ll get to work turning this vision into a reality.
“In close partnership with the community, Bird is committed to ensuring the success of the program and providing NYC residents and visitors with a safe, reliable shared mobility service that is equitable and accessible to all,” said Bird founder and CEO Travis VanderZanden. “We look forward to introducing our most advanced technology to the shared mobility program and evolving our service to best meet the unique needs for riders in the Bronx.”
Thank you to the NYC DOT for giving us the opportunity to serve the Bronx and to lay the foundation for a shared mobility platform that may one day reduce traffic, cut pollution and improve transportation equity for everyone in New York City.
