Bird Rides plans to bring a second electric scooter program to Bartlesville with the launching of 75 dockless scooters in the city by the end of February.
The City Council approved a contract with the company allowing it to operate within Bartlesville city limits under a similar agreement approved by the council in December 2020 with Lime Scooters.
Community Development Director Lisa Beeman said the only difference in the programs is the scooters themselves.
“The only difference is that the type of dockless electric scooters proposed for Bird have different specifications and are capable of achieving a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour and a maximum distance range on a full battery of approximately 30 miles,” Beeman said.
In exchange for approval to operate the program, the agreement provides a fee of five cents per trip taken on any Bird device to be paid monthly by Bird to the City. The agreement also authorizes use on public rights-of-way and allows users to park scooters on city sidewalks as long as they do not obstruct pedestrian traffic.
Other provisions in the one-year contract include:
- Users must be 18 or older
- A driver’s license is not required
- Users must have their own data network and device necessary to use the service
- Riders limited to one person per scooter
- Users are responsible for fees if used inappropriately or left in a place the scooter shouldn’t be
- Users must comply with all City and State laws as any car or motorist
“These e-scooters are being used to serve micromobility transportation needs, or trips that are three miles or fewer in distance that can be served by small and light personal-mobility options, like Lime and Bird. Providing an affordable transportation service for the community, these scooters are a reflection of changes in transportation modes across the world. We welcome Bird to the dockless mobility-sharing market in Bartlesville.”
Beeman said the use of e-scooters in the community will be evaluated by the Transportation Community this spring. Bird currently operates in Tulsa and plans to expand to other Oklahoma cities during 2021. The Bartlesville program is set to launch Feb. 26.