Flying in from Venice Beach, California, representatives from Bird — an electric scooter service — came to the University of New Mexico to showcase their ride-sharing scooters to students on Monday and Tuesday.
In other cities where Bird operates, the scooters cost a dollar to unlock and between 15 and 20 cents for every minute of use. The company is trying to set up shop in the Albuquerque and University areas.
A Bird spokesperson said, "We believe the University of New Mexico would be a great place to provide our accessible, affordable, environmentally-friendly transportation option. We are collaborating with University officials and hope to bring Bird's service to the students and faculty at UNM in the near future."
When asked if he’d use the service, UNM student Stephen Sommerville said he probably wouldn’t because he has a car.
Other students were more enthusiastic about Bird potentially coming to UNM. Matthew Meyer, a San Diego native, said he’d seen the service in his hometown and could imagine himself using a Bird if the service did come to UNM.
Founded in September 2017, Bird operates in over two dozen U.S. cities according to their website. The company is valued at more than $2 billion according to CNN Money.
Bird was founded by Travis Vanderzanden, a former executive at Uber and Lyft.
To use a Bird scooter, users first have to scan their drivers licence on the vendor's app. Riders must also be at least 18 years old.
Unlike Pace, the ride-sharing bike company in Downtown Albuquerque, Bird scooters are dockless. Bird hires people in the community, who they call “chargers,” to collect and charge the scooters overnight.
The chargers then return the scooters to “nests” — UNM could be a landing point.
The expansion of ride-sharing scooters has caused some cities to enact bans on the service.
In Beverly Hills, California, the city council voted 4 to 1 to place a temporary ban on ride-sharing scooters in order to create and pass regulation on the service, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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The council cited safety concerns, users not wearing helmets, and scooters being left along sidewalks and blocking pedestrian paths across the city.
Similar bans have popped up around the country including in Nashville and Milwaukee.
According to the Associated Press, Milwaukee officials sued Bird after sending the company a cease and desist order. The lawsuit said that 100 scooters arrived in the city in an “overnight, surprise fashion.”
The city council of Albuquerque has already passed an ordinance regarding Bird and Lime, a similar scooter ride-sharing service.
On Oct. 1 city councilors voted 8 to 1 to give users of the scooters the same rights as bicyclists on the road, as reported by the Albuquerque Journal. The ordinance also obligates vendors like Bird to obtain a permit and receive the city’s approval on where the scooters can be used.
The bill was sponsored by Councilor Pat Davis. The bill’s one dissenter was Councillor Isaac Benton, who told the Albuquerque Journal, “I’m not of the opinion that we are ready to put something like this into effect.”
Justin Garcia is a freelance news reporter at the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers ASUNM. He can be contacted at news@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @just516garc.
