When it comes to transportation, travelers have many options. From cars, buses, trains, airplanes or even our own two feet, we are always looking for a new way to pull up in style.
Bird is the newest form of transit based in Santa Monica, that allows users to instantaneously rent an electric scooter to get to their next destination. The company created an app to make the renting process quick and accessible for anyone using it. The app allows users to locate a Bird parking rack, scan the bike code to track your trip, enter a credit card and scoot to the next destination. Once the user has arrived to their destination, they park it at another Bird location and lock the bike.
Each ride costs one dollar plus 15 cents per minute of usage. The Bird scooters have a range of about 15 miles at one time and can travel up to about 15 miles per hour.
According to Bird’s official website, they pride their work on making transportation better and more environmentally friendly.
Bird has created their “Save Our Sidewalks” pledge, where they share their perspective on this new revolution in transportation. The pledge and these electric scooters are the company’s way of solving problems commonly seen in busy cities, such as reducing traffic, congestion and greenhouse gas emissions.
But is there a way we can insure these scooters don’t create a liability issues for the users and those around them?
Both the Bird app and website promote its top priority to safe riding. They reinforce the law by plastering the words “Bring your own helmet to stay safe while you ride” all over the instructions.
But let’s be real – those people walking down the street on their way to dinner are not going to carry a helmet with them. People do not carry helmets as if they were purses; if they did the world would be a lot safer place. Although there is another option for users where they can request a free helmet from the safety section of the app. Once again, this does not insure that the riders are taking these necessary safety precautions seriously.
The individual scooters are GPS tracked, which allows the company to easily locate them at the end of each night to recharge them. According to the Santa Monica Daily Press, the company is working hand-and-hand with the city’s rules regarding public right of way, but are still trying to convince officials that leaving their scooters on the sidewalks is the best idea.
Bird scooters have received some unpopular reviews in big cities across the country. According to Nashville’s News Channel 5, both San Francisco and Nashville had the reoccurring issue that the riders are leaving the scooters in the middle of the sidewalk. This problem is both a concern and violation of the Metro code, by violating the public’s right of way.
A safety nightmare has risen from an idea that the creators had the full intentions of being a ton of fun. Whether people are trying to prevent themselves from getting run over or tripping on the piled up scooters, that is no way to start a nice stroll through the neighborhood.
Depending on the way viewers see the idea, the Bird fleet is exhilarating, environmentally friendly and inexpensive for those who actually step foot on them. But to those pedestrians walking on the same sidewalks, it’s both annoying and hazardous to dodge them.
Will the Birds continue to fly to new cities, or will officials put a halt to this trend?
