Redwood City residents looking to get around town without the assistance of a car, bike, or bus have a new option: e-scooters.
The city and Bird, an electronic bike and scooter service, have partnered to bring some 250 e-scooters to residents in the downtown area. Redwood City joins some 400 other cities across the United States and Europe in participating in Bird’s e-scooter program. Last year, the city adjusted Chapter 8 of its municipal code to allow operators like Bird to take up shop on its premises.
“We welcome Bird to Redwood City and look forward to offering community members a new, eco-friendly, and fun way to get around. Whether shopping and dining downtown or just taking a ride to the library or a park, residents, and visitors will now have a new way to get there,” City Manager Melissa Stevenson Diaz said in a press release.
To book a scooter, residents must download the Bird app, sign up, locate a scooter near the app’s map, and then secure it. Once riders find their scooter, they will scan its QR code and take off on their adventure.
To help those in need, Bird is offering a 50 percent discount on rides to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. Health Care workers and emergency personnel can also get up to two free rides a day by emailing a copy of their medical identification card, name, and phone number to together@bird.co.
Austin Marshburn, Head of City and University Partnerships at Bird, said in a press release: “We applaud the City of Redwood City for their commitment to offering convenient, environmentally friendly, and reliable transportation options to residents and visitors.”
The City and Bird will assess ridership use in the next few weeks and then readjust scooter drop-off points to suit residents’ needs better. Eventually, the city would like scooters in areas like Red Morton Park, Target, and the apartment complexes along El Camino Real.
Photo credit: Bird
