Bird E-Scooters land in Gary
Contributed By:The 411 News
Initial roll out in Miller and University Park neighborhoods
Mayor Jerome A. Prince announced the City of Gary is partnering with shared electric scooter company Bird Ride to bring e-scooters to the City this weekend just in time for summer.
The e-scooters are available through a mobile phone application, and riders pay to use the e-scooters per-minute at no cost to the City. Initially, the e-scooters will be available in the Miller and University Park neighborhoods.
“We’re excited to welcome Bird to Gary, and we look forward to seeing our residents enjoy these e-scooters around town,” Mayor Prince said. “They’ll make a great addition to our community, and it’s a fun, environmentally friendly way to link our neighborhoods.”
The company plans on offering e-scooters to residents and visitors in order to help reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion on roadways. The e-scooters also provide a safe way to get around during the pandemic, and they offer residents without automobiles another transportation option.
The e-scooters can be used on roads and in bike lanes and have a maximum speed of 15mph.
E-scooters must be parked out of the way of pedestrians, and they must not block driveways. Riders are required to be 18-years-old and above to access the scooters. They are also encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride, and they will be required to obey all standard rules of the road.
“I’ve seen Bird e-scooters in other cities, and they’re a great way to help us Re-Imagine transportation options for our residents,” Mayor Prince said.
Bird offers 2 programs that are available for all who qualify:
Community Pricing - Bird’s Community Pricing Program offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. It’s designed to be the most inclusive micro-mobility discount program available anywhere.
To sign up for the Community Pricing Program, download the Bird app, create an account, and email your proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
Free Rides for Healthcare Workers and Emergency Personnel – Bird is proud to offer free rides to health care workers and emergency personnel. To sign up, simply email a copy of your medical identification card along with your name and phone number to together@bird.co. Eligible riders will receive two free30-minute rides per day for as long as it takes to help our communities to recover from this global health crisis.
If a resident has questions or concerns about the e-scooters the company can be reached directly at 1-866-205-2442 or hello@bird.co.
More information about the company can be found on their website (www.bird.co) and on their blog (www.bird.co/blog).
Story Posted:07/10/2021
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