Bird Electric Scooter Sharing

[dankrutka]

I use Birds every time I’m in LA and I absolutely love them. Super easy to use and get going — much easier than Spokies IMHO. They definitely encourage walking as this would bridge the gap between districts. Because OKC’s sidewalks aren’t very busy, I actually think they’d be a seamless addition to transportation options. They cause no wear and tear on streets. I’d definitely jump on one and hop from Bricktown to Midtown or Midtown to Uptown. I get it if you dislike their business model, but having used Birds a lot, I think they’ll be a great addition to OKC.

[aDark]

Don't regulate them...ban them. Or force companies to offer them exclusively in certain areas at a kiosk where they need to be returned or you are fined heavy $.

Wow. Strong feelings. I like this option being introduced into OKC. I am not offended at all by how Bird approached their launch. I think it's cool. I certainly wouldn't want these scooters to require me to go find a kiosk or something. Kiosks will require people to be educated on where they are located AND encourage people to drive and park near a kiosk if they want to use the scooter. That is counter intuitive to what makes this product special as compared to Spokies.

Also, I love Spokies with all my heart. I want more Spokies.

[Pete]

It seems very likely the city will partner with Lime and make this all official and sanctioned.

And with their model, they have employees go out and take responsibility for the scooters, for charging them, etc. So ultimately there is a company responsible for them being used improperly or left in the middle of a sidewalk, etc. And they'll know the identity of the offending party and deal with that on their own.

I was just texting with a friend about all this and it occurred to me that OKC might be the best possible application of this product. We have lots of urban areas but they are still pretty disjointed and spread-out. Our public transportation system is thin; we don't even have good bike infrastructure.

An officially sanctioned and regulated electric scooter program could be a huge benefit to the entire urban core and even beyond.

[PaddyShack]

Does Lime use central stations for their scooters or are customers able to leave them at their destinations for others to pick up?

[benjico]

Wow. Strong feelings. I like this option being introduced into OKC. I am not offended at all by how Bird approached their launch. I think it's cool. I certainly wouldn't want these scooters to require me to go find a kiosk or something. Kiosks will require people to be educated on where they are located AND encourage people to drive and park near a kiosk if they want to use the scooter. That is counter intuitive to what makes this product special as compared to Spokies.

Also, I love Spokies with all my heart. I want more Spokies.

I have no issue with the concept. It's a great idea and I can see why it appeals to people. I LOVE the idea of getting people to drive less. But the human element leaves too much room for error.

But I've seen these used in LA where people ride on the sidewalk and weave through pedestrians. I was cycling in a bike line where one was in front of me, they saw me coming and stopped abruptly (we weren't at a light) and we almost crashed...probably would have if there had been cars near us. And ideally people would lean these on buildings where they are out of the way, but almost all of them were just thrown on a sidewalk. It just left a bad taste in my mouth seeing how people were using them so selfishly and carelessly. I'll clarify this by saying it was near the very beginning of these becoming popular, so perhaps regulations in other cities have made them safer.

[Pete]

From the City via KFOR reporter Lacey Lett:

Assistant City Manager Laura Johnson:

• Yesterday, the City first became aware of today’s launch of a dockless scooter sharing service. The City learned about it in an email from one of the service’s competitors.
• The service that launched today also notified the City in an email about 10 a.m. today.
• City staff is working on an ordinance regarding dockless bicycle/scooter sharing, but has not yet been introduced to the City Council for consideration.
• Under current ordinances, using a City sidewalk for parking a scooter/bike for a scooter/bike sharing service requires a revocable permit. The service that launched today does not have one.
• The City is still evaluating its response.

[Chicken In The Rough]

Bird has its electric scooters all over Denver. they have been extremely popular, and extremely contentious. Along with Bird, Lime has also dropped a boatload of scooters around the city. Being dockless, and having no rules, people leave the scooters where ever they happen to land. They clutter the sidewalks, block access to buildings, etc. It's not a huge problem for me, but I can certainly see how it will quickly get out of hand. Denver impounded hundreds of these scooters before the companies picked them up. After new ordinances were enacted, the scooters returned - just last week, I think. Now, not only have Lime and Bird returned, but Lyft and other companies announced they too are bringing scooters. Today, there are about 2,000 scooters on the streets from these companies, and 1,000 electric bikes are coming in the next few weeks. Bike & scooter sharing is big business!

[CloudDeckMedia]

This will be a huge threat to Spokies. Around the US scooters have proven to be more popular, profitable and widely-used than bikeshare programs.

[shawnw]

Might change with electric bikes

[BBatesokc]

Love this.

Not that I'd use them - but maybe I would - haven't really thought about it much.

I personally like the idea of steamrolling in and forcing the city to expedite 'dealing with it.' Closed door meetings can drag on forever and ever and are rarely transparent. As long as the company is prepared for any legal repercussions, I say "Go For it!" and the city WILL be better for it.

[josh]

San Antonio has scooters all over downtown and the urban core. We have Bird, Lime, and a local start up Blue Duck all with hundreds of Scooters downtown and the urban core. They’re not as bad as people seem to complain about.

Riding on the sidewalks is an issue, but that’ll lessen as more people use them and begin understand the rules. The real issue for these companies will be maintenance and theft. These scooters get beat up because users have no attachment to them outside of the twenty the ride when theybuse then then discard them. Others might see one laying in the middle of a sidewalk and move it by throwing it.

[ultimatesooner]

checked their website out - looks like they have a job posting for damn near every employee a medium sized company would actually need - seems like they got a crapton of Silicon Valley VC $$ - will be interesting to watch this one play out.

although next time i go downtown and get buzzed up i might hop on one and try to take it on some sweet jumps

[baralheia]

*eyeroll*

As a consumer and occasional person who wants to get around quick and easy, Im all for them. These will be accepted by the public quickly, just like uber was. No need to ban them, just educate everyone. They are movable, they dont obstruct anything. And lol at them dirtying the streets.

In downtown Dallas I've seen literal piles of bikes and scooters from the multiple dockless personal transport companies that service the area. It's seriously no joke, these things get left everywhere with little consideration to their surroundings. And with multiple companies in the fray, sometimes competition breaks out to where someone working for one will knock over their competition's equipment or intentionally move it somewhere it's not supposed to be to get the other company in trouble... It's a total mess.

[ultimatesooner]

In downtown Dallas I've seen literal piles of bikes and scooters from the multiple dockless personal transport companies that service the area. It's seriously no joke, these things get left everywhere with little consideration to their surroundings. And with multiple companies in the fray, sometimes competition breaks out to where someone working for one will knock over their competition's equipment or intentionally move it somewhere it's not supposed to be to get the other company in trouble... It's a total mess.

sounds like someone needs to come up with a scooter wars reality show and get rich lol

[Ross MacLochness]

Haha:

Bird Electric Scooters | Realistic Marketing, Inc.

[gopokes88]

Hahahah that’s great

[Mel]

How about something for old people that want to haul it?

[Pete]

Was in the Paseo tonight and saw a bunch of them there and at least one was completely out of juice.

[Ross MacLochness]

I thought the guy in the video was joking when he said they stopped working at 8 but they really must.... There are no scooters available on the app tonight.

[dankrutka]

They run out of juice fairly quickly, which is why they make so many available. I don’t see them as the nuisance others see them as, but you want a lot because some will need repairs, be out of juice, etc.

[shawnw]

I rode one tonight and it was very fun. There was one very near my doorstep when I brought up the app. Rode it to bricktown for dinner/movie. 8 minute ride for the 1.2mi, half the time of a walk usually. Just over $2. Totally worth it. I wouldn't always use them, but in this case it was super handy.

[Pete]

More e-scooter and bike sharing options in the works

As OKCTalk was first to report, Bird electric scooters were quietly dropped in and around downtown Oklahoma City on Wednesday night, without notice or official permitting.

By Thursday morning, the powered scooters seemed to be everywhere in the city's core, with riders zipping around Bricktown, Film Row, the Paseo and the Plaza District.

Now, at least one other e-scooter company is actively working directly with the city and a similar dockless bike system is also being proactively considered as part of the formally managed Spokies bike-share program.

The term dockless refers to a class of motorized scooters and bikes (both electronic and human-powered) that do not require the vehicles to be returned to specific, designated areas. Rather, they can be left anywhere at the end of a ride which provides much greater coverage and convenience but often creates other issues such as cluttered sidewalks and poorly maintained and even unsafe equipment.

Similar to ride-share programs such as Lyft and Uber, dockless bike- and scooter-sharing programs having been hitting U.S. Cities in an aggressive “don't seek prior permission” strategy employed by several start-up companies such as Bird and LimeBike.

As with automobile ride-sharing, dockless scooters and bikes generally test various ordinances – or the lack thereof – by launching quick-strike pilot programs and dealing with the consequences after the fact.

Cities worldwide are struggling with how to best deal with what can be an onslaught of new vehicles suddenly flooding streets and sidewalks. Various muncipalities have attempted to ban or even impound scooters and bikes while they try to balance the public's desire to utilize the services while considering public safety and other practical matters.

OKCTalk has learned that LimeBike is in the process of working with Oklahoma City to develop a formally sanctioned and permitted service around shared e-scooters.

In response to our email inquiry, Lime staffer Mary Caroline Pruitt replied, “We are working with Oklahoma City to develop a common-sense regulatory framework around shared scooters, and plan to continue to do so until we reach a mutually beneficial solution.”

Pruitt continued: “We have also been working with non-profits, the transit agency, and community leaders. We are optimistic that through our continued collaborative efforts we will be able to bring Lime to Oklahoma City in the future.”

Bird clearly decided to take a more direct approach. Assistant City Manager Laura Johnson said in a Thursday statement:

• Yesterday, the City first became aware of today’s launch of a dockless scooter sharing service. The City learned about it in an email from one of the service’s competitors.
• The service that launched today also notified the City in an email about 10 a.m. today.
• City staff is working on an ordinance regarding dockless bicycle/scooter sharing, but has not yet been introduced to the City Council for consideration.
• Under current ordinances, using a City sidewalk for parking a scooter/bike for a scooter/bike sharing service requires a revocable permit. The service that launched today does not have one.
• The City is still evaluating its response.

Through its Central Oklahoma Transportaiton and Parking Authority (COTPA), the City of Oklahoma currently offers the fully-managed Spokies docked bike-share program, where bikes can be checked out at designed racks and returned to any of 8 locations located in the Central Business District, Bricktown, Deep Deuce, Automobile Alley and Midtown.

Recognizing the sudden rise of unmanaged dockless solutions, the city has been evaluating adding dockless smart bikes to the Spokies program. The specific option being considered would be to add dockless bikes from BCycle, the same manufacturer of the existing Spokies equipment.

Under this proposed program, COTPA/Spokies staff would directly manage the “high quality and safe equipment” with the goal of greatly expanding the city's bike-sharing program without the current geographic limitations. For example, Spokies currently does not have docking locations in Film Row, The Plaza or The Paseo, areas where local businesses and residents have lobbied for the service.

While the city continues to evaluate immediate and longer-term issues regarding scooter and bike sharing, social media is already flooded with reports of local residents riding the Bird scooters all around town, with generally positive reaction tempered with concern over safety and asthetics.

It is unclear if the city will look to clamp down on the Bird scooters while they continue to work towards more formally regulated sharing solutions.

[Ross MacLochness]

The scooter I parked outside my house was gone this morning. Looks like all The outlying scooters were picked up over night. Most are almost fully charged this morning as well.

[benjico]

"OKC Police: new electric scooters illegal to use on streets, sidewalks" from NewsOK: https://newsok.com/article/5603597/o...eets-sidewalks

[Zuplar]

So basically they are illegal to use currently.