New scooters have arrived in downtown Bradenton, with hundreds more to come
For several years, Bradenton officials have talked about introducing scooters to the downtown area.
This week, they arrived.
“There is a soft launch going on now, with about 150 scooters deployed around town,” Jeannie Roberts, the city’s communications coordinator, said in an email this week.
Eventually, there could be as many as 900.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bird to Bradenton and look forward to offering community members a new, eco-friendly and fun way to get around. Whether exploring the Riverwalk or going to Village of the Arts or LECOM Park, residents and visitors will now have a new way to get there,” Mayor Gene Brown said in a press release. “
“We expect the arrival of the scooters to bring economic impact to our city, with riders more likely to shop at local businesses,” he said.
In 2019, Bradenton’s legal counsel and staff began putting together guidelines on rental scooters to limit the number, prevent scooters from being left lying on sidewalks and encourage safety.
Among those helping with the guidelines was the Bradenton Police Department.
Bird’s technology ensures that riders leave their scooters in approved locations, Lt. Phil Waller previously told the Bradenton Herald.
“Even just a few feet outside of that box, the app tells you that the scooter isn’t properly parked. With that technology, we’re hoping to have the complaints about scooters all over the sidewalks taken care of,” Waller previously said. “That’s probably been the top complaint about these across the U.S.”
Earlier this year, the city chose Bird as exclusive provider of e-scooter rentals in Bradenton.
The eco-friendly transportation option can be activated through Bird’s free smarthphone app.
The Bird scooters, developed by an in-house team of engineering and vehicle design experts, also provide a new transportation alternative.
“We applaud the City of Bradenton for their commitment to offering convenient, environmentally friendly and reliable transportation options to residents and visitors,” said Bird’s Austin Marshburn in the press release.
Bird offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. Those who qualify can sign up by downloading the Bird app, creating an account and emailing proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
Bird offers free rides to health care workers and emergency personnel. Those who qualify can sign up by emailing a copy of their medical identification card, name and phone number to together@bird.co.
Eligible riders receive two free 30-minute rides per day.
Anyone with a Bird account can report or provide feedback on vehicle-related issues such as poorly parked or damaged vehicles in their area by tapping the yield sign on the bottom left of the in-app Bird map. When a report is submitted, someone is assigned to correct the issue.
Pricing rates are set by Bird and vary by state and market. Generally, it is $1 to unlock the scooter and usage rates average between 15 and 30 cents a minute.
Bird was founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden. Bird provides fleets of shared micro electric vehicles to riders in more than 400 cities globally.
This story was originally published August 19, 2022 at 2:29 PM.
