The City of Great Bend is partnering with shared electric scooter company, Bird Rides, to bring e-scooters to the city starting this month. Just in time for Spring, Bird is a naturally social distanced way to get around. The scooters are available through a mobile phone application and riders pay to use the scooter per minute, at no cost to the city.
City Administrator, Kendal Francis stated: “What a fun addition! We are happy to welcome Bird to the City of Great Bend and look forward to having the scooters available. They will make a great addition to our community!”
The company plans on offering scooters to residents and visitors in order to help reduce carbon emissions, as well as traffic congestion on roadways. The scooters also provide a safe way to get around during the pandemic and offer residents without automobiles another transportation option.
The electric scooters can be used on roads and in bike lanes and have a maximum speed of 15mph. Scooters must be parked out of the way of pedestrians and never blocking driveways. Riders are required to be 18 years-old and above to access the scooters. They are also encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride and required to obey all standard rules of the road.
CVB Director, Christina Hayes stated, “Scooters are a fun and useful way to help bridge the gap between a person’s home, work and play! The more transportation options we have the better benefit to the city! It brings even more meaning to shop, stay, play, learn and grow Great Bend!”
Bird offers the following programs that are available for all who qualify:
- Community Pricing - Bird’s Community Pricing Program offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. It is designed to be the most inclusive micromobility discount program available anywhere. To sign up for the Community Pricing Program, download the Bird app, create an account, and email your proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
- Free Rides for Healthcare Workers and Emergency Personnel - Bird is proud to offer free rides to healthcare workers and emergency personnel. To sign up, simply email a copy of your medical identification card along with your name and phone number to together@bird.co. Eligible riders will receive two free 30-minute rides per day for as long as it takes to help our communities to recover from this global health crisis.
There are local partners involved with this project, and for more information feel free to contact Bird Marketing & Communications at press@bird.co .