Bird's dockless e-scooters are back in downtown Austin following a three and a half week hiatus while the city set up a new permitting process for the disruptive new transportation option.
The Santa Monica-based company is the second company to get permits to legally operate under Austin's new dockless bikes and scooters rules. (Pace, a Boston-based dockless bicycle company, got permits for about 200 of its bikes last Friday.)
Bird was the first company to deploy dockless e-scooters on Austin streets on April 5. At the time, Austin was poised to embark on a pilot project to test ideas about how to best manage dockless bikes and scooters in the city, and it didn't yet have specific rules. Nonetheless, the city impounded 50-plus e-scooters that were deemed to be blocking the right-of-way on sidewalks or other public places.
On April 27, the city approved emergency rules to regulate dockless bikes and scooters, requiring them to be parked in a way that doesn't block foot traffic on sidewalks or block entry to handicap-accessible ramps and pathways.
Now, Bird, which drew the ire of some city council members for launching before the pilot project got underway, is extending some goodwill.
It announced it will donate $1 per scooter per day to Movability, an Austin-based transportation management association that helps employers set up mobility policies for things like carpooling, bikeshare, public transit and carsharing. Bird had hoped to donate the money directly to the city, but city ethics rules prevented that.
Bird also plans to have a helmet giveaway event in coming weeks, and it ships free helmets to active users through its app (although there's a $1.99 shipping fee).
Under the city's new dockless rules, companies pay a $30 per device permit fee. They can get up to 500 permits, and the permits last six months. Starting in August, dockless companies have to ensure their devices can lock to something or use haptic technology and geo-fencing that guides riders to designated spots where it's legal to park without a lock.
For Pace, the first brand to get permits, that's not a problem. Their bikes were designed to lock to something. For Bird's e-scooters, a solution isn't quite as clear. The company doesn't appear to have dealt with this kind of rule in any other cities. Bird officials didn't directly answer questions about how Bird will operate after the lock-to rules start in August.
"We are thrilled to be back in Austin and to contribute to the local community," Bird spokesman Kenneth Baer said in an email. "We look forward to collaborating with the city to modify rules as necessary as we work toward our shared goals of curbing traffic and carbon emissions."
