Bird’s e-scooter service is expanding in the UK as rider demand for micromobility continues to climb in 2021.
“We’ve had lots of positive feedback from across the community,” said Redditch Borough Council leader Matt Dormer earlier this week, discussing the expansion of Bird’s service area to include the town’s Alexandra Hospital. “Bird has been a very collaborative partner, and we’re pleased to help more people get to where they need to go without a car.”
The expanded service area will be of particular help to medical personnel and NHS staff who receive free rides as part of our effort to help in the fight against the global health crisis.
In the three months since launching in Redditch, just south of Birmingham, Bird riders have already logged more miles than the distance between the UK and Australia. In fact, combined with the city of Canterbury, Bird riders in the UK are adding thousands of additional e-scooter miles every week.
Such a rapid rate of e-scooter adoption is particularly noteworthy given the UK’s chilly winter temperatures and ongoing travel restrictions. Local officials attribute the surge in part to the strong collaboration between Bird’s local UK team and community stakeholders.
“Bird and Kent County Council have a close and healthy working relationship in delivering e-scooters in Canterbury with the shared vision of reducing car dependency to help improve air quality,” said Ben Bolton, Senior Transport Planner for the Kent County Council. “Bird worked hard to build on their years of experience in the industry to come up with solutions to deliver a successful e-scooter rental model with the environment and the customer at the heart of their delivery.”
Bird’s expansion in the UK is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to ease and improve micromobility access for riders across Europe. Last week, we announced our partnership with French green-mobility company Betterway to bring employer-subsidized e-scooter rides to France.
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*E-scooters in the UK should be used for essential travel only. Bird takes all necessary COVID-19 precautions to ensure our vehicles and riders are protected.
