LOS ANGELES, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird, a leader
in shared environmentally-friendly electric transportation,
announced today the addition of shared e-bikes to its fleet of
micro-electric vehicles and the launch of Bird Bike. Bird currently
operates e-scooters in more than 250 cities globally and will bring
its shared bikes and Smart Bikeshare platform to select cities this
year.
The shared Bird Bike delivers on Bird's commitment to broadening
access to eco-friendly transportation around the world at a time
when global demand for bikes and scooters has never been higher.
With shared e-bikes, Bird will partner with cities that do not
have, or are looking to supplement, an existing bike or
scooter-sharing network to offer the highest quality vehicles and
operations designed to meet the mobility needs of all riders.
"Shared e-scooters catapulted shared micromobility to the center
stage of eco-friendly transportation in cities by providing more
than 150 million zero-emission trips globally," said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird.
"We are launching our shared Bird Bike and Smart Bikeshare platform
to meet fast-growing demand from cities and riders for more
sustainable transportation options while expanding our serviceable
addressable market by five billion trips per year."
The Shared Bird Bike
Built with safety and durability
as the focal points, the shared Bird Bike is a smart, connected
vehicle that complements cities' existing transportation networks.
Each bike is equipped with a high-powered electric motor capable of
powering riders up hills with as much as a 20% grade while its
75-pound frame and step through design offers riders of all sizes a
sturdy yet maneuverable vehicle for increased safety. Additionally,
the shared Bird Bike has a front basket for storage, large
pneumatic tires for a smooth ride, and IoT features such as
self-automating onboard diagnostics, geospeed technology and
multi-mode geolocation to ensure compliant operations in cities and
towns of all sizes.
Smart Bikeshare Platform Meets Demand for Eco-Friendly
Transportation
Bird believes shared e-bikes and e-scooters
should complement existing clean transportation and mass transit
systems while being available and accessible to everyone. With its
Smart Bikeshare platform, Bird can provide communities a robust
suite of offerings including the Bird Bike, integrations with
locally owned and operated bikeshare services, partnerships with
transit apps for comprehensive trip planning, and access to
additional eco-friendly transportation options such as e-mopeds
provided by third parties.
Collaboration is at the heart of Bird's operations, and Bird is
the first scooter operator to integrate with existing local shared
bike and e-moped providers and transit apps. In Italy for example, Bird is partnering with Zig
Zag, a local company, by integrating their vehicle availability
directly in the Bird app to promote shared micromobility use. Bird
is also working closely with groups like the North American
Bikeshare Association (NABSA) and other transportation
organizations around the world to bring these kinds of integrations
to additional cities.
"Cities and riders are best served by efficient, collaborative
and non-monopolized transportation networks," said VanderZanden.
"Our vision of smart, responsible bike sharing is to provide the
best shared bikes and operations when cities need them, and having
the foresight to offer the best support and multimodal integrations
when they don't. Cities, people and the planet win when there is
greater access to eco-friendly transportation."
Availability
Bird Bike, Bird's newest vehicle built
for shared use, will be available in select cities throughout
North America, Italy, Spain,
Germany, Ireland and France this year. Riders will be able to
access Bird Bike via the Bird app's effortless "scan and ride"
experience and QR codes on each e-bike.
Cities and others interested in bringing Bird Bike or Bird's
Smart Bikeshare platform to their communities can email
hello@bird.co for more information.
Press images can be found here.
*The global bike-sharing service market is estimated to grow to
over 13.7 billion U.S. dollars by
2026 from 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in
2020.
About Bird:
Bird is an electric vehicle company dedicated to bringing
affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to
communities across the world. Today, it provides a fleet of shared
e-scooters to riders in over 250 cities and makes its products
available for purchase at www.bird.co and via leading retailers and
distribution partners. Bird partners closely with the cities in
which it operates to provide a reliable and affordable
transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded
in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is
rapidly expanding. Follow Bird on Instagram (@bird), on Twitter
(@BirdRide), and find more information at www.bird.co. On
May 12, 2021, Bird announced that it
entered into a definitive business combination agreement with
Switchback II Corporation (NYSE: SWBK). For more information visit
www.bird.co and https://swbk2.com/.
Media Contact
Jed Hamilton
BirdPR@icrinc.com
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