NATION-WORLD

Electric scooters for rent in downtown OKC

By HANNAH PIKE Business Writer hpike@oklahoman.com
Bird motorized scooters are parked near the Myriad Botanical Gardens on W Sheridan Avenue in front of the Devon Tower on Thursday. The company said it kicked off a pilot program in Oklahoma City to test its fleet of dock-free, low-speed, electric scooters with members of the community. [PHOTOS BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN]

Denizens of downtown Oklahoma City — and city officials — discovered something unexpected on the streets Thursday morning: electric scooters.

Bird, a scooter-sharing company, launched a pilot program in the city testing its dockless, low-speed scooters in Bricktown, Midtown and downtown Oklahoma City.

“Our mission is to get people out of their cars, reduce traffic and congestion, and cut carbon emissions,” a Bird spokesperson said in a statement.

On its website, Bird says it works “closely with cities to help make transportation better and more environmentally friendly.”

But Laura Johnson, an assistant city manager, said Oklahoma City was not aware of Bird's launch until it received an email on Wednesday from one of Bird's competitors. Bird notified the city itself in an email about 10 a.m. on Thursday.

Under current rules, Bird would need a revocable permit to use a street or sidewalk for scooter parking, and they do not currently have one.

“The city is still evaluating its response,” Johnson said.

According to the Bird app, about 50 scooters were placed on Oklahoma City streets.

She said that city staff is working on an ordinance regarding dockless scooter and bicycle sharing, but it has not yet been introduced to the City Council for consideration.

Bird works via an app, which allows customers to find and unlock a scooter. The company asks users to ride in bike lanes when available and never on sidewalks.

Customers can park the scooter anywhere, though Bird instructs users to park by bike racks when available and to not block public pathways. The bikes can go at a maximum speed of 15 mph, and users must bring their own helmets, which are required by law in some states where Bird operates.

Other cities consider bans

On Tuesday, Los Angeles Councilman Paul Koretz told officials to ban scooters in the city, where Bird is one of the providers. Beverly Hills City Council banned motorized scooters on July 25 for six months, citing public safety concerns, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Bird's CEO, Travis VanderZanden, signed a "Save Our Sidewalks" pledge that is posted on Bird's website.

"We have all seen the results of out-of-control deployment in China — huge piles of abandoned and broken bicycles, overrunning sidewalks, turning parks into junkyards, and creating a new form of pollution — and new problems for cities," VanderZanden said in the statement. "We cannot let this happen to our cities here in the U.S."

In the pledge, he promises Bird will pick up its scooters nightly, only increase the supply when vehicles are being used at least three times per day and give $1 per vehicle per day to city governments.

The company also has a “One Bird” program to provide “underserved communities access to affordable and convenient transportation to increase mobility and employment opportunities.”

Mary Caroline Pruitt, a spokesperson of Limebike, which is one of Bird's main competitors, said the company is working with Oklahoma City to develop "common-sense regulatory framework around shared scooters and plan to continue to do so until we reach a mutually beneficial solution."

"We are optimistic that through our continued collaborative efforts we will be able to bring Lime to Oklahoma City in the future," she said.

Whether other electric vehicle and bike-sharing companies will enter Oklahoma City remains to be seen.

Taylor Bennett, a spokesperson from Ofo, a bike-sharing company that is one of Bird's main competitors, said Ofo has no immediate plans to launch in Oklahoma City.

JUMP, which is owned by Uber, is a dockless e-bike sharing company that is "constantly evaluating opportunities" to expand, said Travis Considine, Uber communications manager.

“We are encouraged by the adoption we've seen in our current markets," Considine said.

Mobike, Bird's other main competitor, could not be reached for comment.