What's the deal with Bird scooters and how will it impact the Westside?
Electric scooters have been popping up everywhere in Los Angeles, especially the Westside. On the sidewalks, street corners, recreational fields, in front of restaurants—you name it. And people have actually been using them, from working professionals to high school students. Even though it seems like the advent of these new scooters happened overnight, this new form of transit has been slowly growing over the past few months. These scooters have been spotted especially in Westside neighborhoods, including Santa Monica, Culver City, Sawtelle, Palms, Venice, and Westwood, and they’re quickly expanding throughout the nation.
What is it?
The name of the Santa Monica-based company is called Bird, and it aims to transform the way people move around the city. These scooters first came to fruition thanks to its CEO and Founder, Travis VanderZanden, who used to be an executive for the popular rideshare services Uber and Lyft. After spending time experimenting with different kinds of motorized scooters, VanderZanden finally launched his Bird scooters last summer in Santa Monica. Since then, nearly 1,000 scooters have been deposited throughout the city. Similar to the way rideshare works, people can access these scooters through Bird’s smartphone app, pay a fee starting at $1, ride to their destination, and leave the scooter anywhere.
How it Works
As long as the rider is over the age of 18 and has a valid driver’s license, they are eligible to ride these scooters. After plugging in their credit card number into the app, riders will be charged an initial $1 per ride plus 15 cents per minute until the electric scooter runs out of charge or the rider wishes to stop. According to Tech Crunch, the Bird app tries to teach the rider basic safety guidelines for using the scooter, such as where to park and where to ride as well as requesting that riders always wear a helmet. The rider can order a free helmet from the app, which is shipped also for free. Riders are encouraged to park the scooters near bike racks and ride along designated bike lanes.
Scooter Charging
Since these scooters are electric, this means that they eventually run out of battery and need charging. People, whether Bird employees or locals looking to make some extra money, start collecting scooters using a tracking system around 8 p.m. daily. These chargers locate scooters and return them to allotted locations by 6 a.m. the next morning. According to The Atlantic, this process of locating scooters has sparked a craze with the youth—particularly among high schoolers looking to make a little extra income. The term “bird hunter” has been used to refer to these particular Bird chargers. Similar to Pokémon Go, a fad that swept through the nation in 2015, Bird Hunters use their apps to catch scooters and make money by charging them in their home overnight.
Pros and Cons
While there are some clear benefits of using these motorized scooters, such has having an affordable and fun option for commuting, Bird still has its flaws. Although riders technically need to be over 18 with a driver’s license, this doesn’t stop people from letting others use the scooters. Also, many scooters haphazardly left on the road or street can cause traffic accidents or injure others. The rules start getting hazy when it involves a broken scooter or injured rider, but Bird claims to pay out the rider if they followed proper safety techniques.
Possible Legal Issues
When the Metro first tested out its bike-share programin various neighborhoods, such as Pasadena, Echo Park, the Port of LA, and Hollywood, it was after months of collecting data and gathering proper permits. However, the Bird scooters operate a bit differently, taking a bit of a shortcut. Before securing permits, the company released its first batch of scooters throughout Santa Monica. According to the same The Atlantic story, the company didn’t reach out to City Council until after their launch which irked many officials. Curbed reported that the city of Santa Monica filed a criminal case against Bird back in December, and the company has since paid a $300,000 settlement to the city in addition to holding a weeklong safety education campaign.
Is this just a fad or will it stay for long-term?
The e-scooter company has already encountered its fair share of complications, but it has so far thwarted attempts to stop it from expanding. City Councils recently enacted scooter regulations limiting the number of vehicles that companies can put on city sidewalks. Like any new company, it’s not known whether or not the scooters will stay for long. However, Business Insider reports that the scooter startup is already valued at an estimated $2 billion.