Member Spotlight: Bird

Since launching the first e-scooter program in 2017, Bird has spent the past three years committed to developing what the team sees as the four key promises of micromobility: safety, sustainability, equity and innovation.

“Safety in micromobility is of course concerned with the well-being of bike and scooter riders, but it touches on something much larger as well,” said Rebecca Hahn, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer at Bird. The company has implemented programs such as worldwide helmet giveaways, in-person and virtual road safety tutorials, and a safety report publication. They have also designed their vehicles with fault detection technology that maximizes durability and rider security.

Bird cites that improving mobility for all is at the heart of their investment in e-scooter equity. The Bird team is helping to ensure that shared micromobility works for everyone through their highly inclusive Community Pricing Program that offers 50% off rides to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofits, veterans and senior citizens, and by working closely with community and disability advocacy groups like We Keep You Rollin’ in Chicago and the Redditch Blind Association in the UK.

“When you start with safe and equitable riding, a virtuous cycle begins to take shape that benefits not only people but the environment,” said Hahn. Recently, the company has invested heavily in developing the long-lasting, sustainable Bird Two, and has worked with organizations like Carbone 4 in France and consultants from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the US to understand and improve their vehicles’ overall lifecycle emissions.

“At the end of the day, it’s innovation and partnership that will continue to help us fully realize the potential of shared e-scooter systems,” said Hahn. “Together, we can build healthier, happier, more equitable cities centered less around cars and more around people.”