PROVIDENCE – Bird’s e-scooters are being pulled from Providence, the company announced on its app Friday.
Friday is also the final day of service, the company said. Bird’s scooters were still on the Providence streets as of Friday afternoon.
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The company’s competitor, Lime, also still had scooters on the street Friday.
The scooter company made a splash in the city, arriving and operating without an agreement with the city. As a result, the scooters were taken off the road, but the company later reached an agreement with the city and the scooters were reintroduced in October.
Providence Mayor’s Office spokesman Victor Morente told PBN Friday that in the second year of scooter operations in the city, Providence has provided permits for 250 Lime, 175 Spin and 175 VeoRide scooters. Bird applied but was not selected following its evaluation.
“Providence is committed to providing residents and visitors with convenient and equitable intermodal transportation options,” Morente said. “As part of that commitment we launched a pilot scooter program last year. As the pilot period ended, we relaunched the application, which included an extensive evaluation process in the second year of our scooter permit pilot program that ensures only those scooter-sharing companies determined to best align with our vision for mobility operate in the city over the next year.”
Spin and VeoRide are not currently operating in the city.
A representative for Bird said Friday, “Bird is so grateful to our Providence community for supporting shared e-scooters and embracing an environmentally friendly alternative to short car trips. We thank Providence riders and would welcome the opportunity to provide our service again in the future.”
Chris Bergenheim is the PBN web editor. You may reach him at Bergenheim@PBN.com.
