"Bird" scooters cross Tacoma thanks to a new test program

But Seattle will not have a scooter program anytime soon

By Zosha Millman, SeattlePI

published

12:03 PDT, Sunday, October 14, 2018

Bikes take off in Seattle thanks to a (current) bike sharing program. But can scooters also storm the region?

Ask Tacoma, where 250 Bird's electronic scooters were launched Saturday for a 60-day trial in the city.

Lime – whose green bikes are the latest boggy bike sharing program in the region – has a group of 250 of its own scooters as part of a pilot program launched in September. At that time, Tacoma also approved the deployment of 100 e-bikes.

As for the part of bike without dock, helmets are not included, but they are mandatory. Runners could apply for free helmets via the Bird app.

City officials say you can use scooters on the road, on the shoulders, sidewalks and walkways. But they are not allowed in bike lanes, playgrounds, walking trails, nor in school or park grounds.

Scooters tap at about 15 mph, and can travel about 15 miles on a single charge.

RELATED: How Seattle's bike share program will work

Like Seattle's self-serve bicycle pilot program, these birds may not be here forever; At the end of 60 days, city officials in Tacoma will decide whether to expand the program.

This places it in front of Seattle's carpool programs; Despite the presence of 22% of self-service bicycles in the country at one point, the city's Department of Transportation banned laudable electronic scooters in Seattle.

Bird also promises not to flood the city with its scooters.

"We will not increase our vehicle supply in a city unless they are used at least three times per vehicle per day (weather permitting)," the company said in a statement. "We will remove underused vehicles."