Beginning at the moment, residents of Old Town can entry the e-scooters by merely downloading the Bird cellular app.
OLD TOWN, Maine — Electric scooters will quickly be zipping by means of Old Town in an eco-friendly, clean-air-promoting means. The metropolis introduced it is going to be providing electrical Bird scooters beginning Tuesday.
This new possibility for transportation was introduced in a information launch issued by the town of Old Town on Tuesday, indicating the town partnered with Bird to make it occur. Old Town is the primary metropolis in Maine to take action.
“We are thrilled to welcome Bird to Old Town and look forward to offering community members a new, eco-friendly, and fun way to get around,” EJ Roach, Old Town’s director of financial and group growth, mentioned in the discharge. “Whether riding in and around downtown Old Town, or visiting the several shopping plazas on Stillwater Avenue, residents and visitors will now have a new way to get there. We expect the arrival of the scooters to bring economic impact to our city, with riders more likely to shop at local businesses.”
Residents can entry and activate the e-scooters by means of Bird’s cellular app, the discharge says.
Bird’s web site says the e-scooters might be reserved for up to half-hour in advance.
According to the discharge, Bird “aims to make cities more livable by reducing car trips, traffic, and carbon emissions.”
“We applaud the town of Old Town for his or her dedication to providing handy, environmentally pleasant, and dependable transportation choices to residents and guests,” Head of City and University Partnerships at Bird Austin Marshburn mentioned in the discharge.
With Old Town being in such shut proximity to the University of Maine, seeing an inflow in inhabitants in the course of the educational 12 months, Bird will assist scale back the rise in gas-powered automotive emissions.
It additionally gives a transportation possibility that’s simply accessible and inexpensive for school college students.
RELATED: Maine’s first bike-share program kicks off in Portland
Old Town’s resolution comes shortly after the town of Biddeford rejected a partnership with Bird. The Saco Bay News reported the proposal by no means got here to fruition resulting from a scarcity of house on sidewalks. City officers mentioned metropolis parking areas might be an alternative choice to the slender sidewalk challenge to station the e-scooters, however that it might be an “inefficient use” of the parking areas.
The metropolis of Portland can also be becoming a member of in on extra transportation choices for its residents. The first bike-share program with Tandem Mobility launched in Maine on Aug. 15 with 50 bikes supplied to city-goers. In a number of months, that quantity will up to 200 bikes in Portland, 50 of which might be electrical.
Similar to the Bird e-scooters in Old Town, Portland residents merely should obtain a cellular app to entry and use the bikes.
According to the discharge, Bird is providing the next options and advantages to the residents of Old Town:
- “Community Pricing: Bird’s inclusive Community Pricing Program 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.”
- “Free Rides for Healthcare Workers and Emergency Personnel: To recognize the individuals whose work continues to be so crucial to the health and safety of our communities, Bird offers free rides to healthcare 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.”
- “Community Mode: Bird values community input. 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.”
For extra details about Bird, click on right here.
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