TIFFIN, Ohio — What to do when driving from place to place isn’t on the agenda but walking doesn't sound appealing either? E-scooters have been distributed across many U.S. cities and now they will be available in Tiffin starting June 21.
Bird Scooters, founded in September 2017, operates shared electric scooters in more than 100 cities in North America, Europe and the Middle East. The company uses an app to manage rentals across the cities the scooters reside in.
Tiffin Mayor Aaron Montz was excited about Bird's announcement.
"We've been working with Bird for a while, and I'm looking forward to having this fun, environmentally-friendly mobility solution in our community. They will make a great addition to the City of Tiffin," said Mayor Montz.
The electric scooters have a maximum speed of 15 mph and can be used on roads and bike lanes. Riders must be 18 years or older in order to use the new Bird scooters in Tiffin. Riders are encouraged to wear a helmet on every ride and Bird Scooters is offering free helmets (with purchase of shipping and handling) here.
In order to rent the e-scooter users will need to install the Bird app, displayed where the available scooters are. All transactions are done through the app with the following steps:
- Supply payment information
- Scan the QR code on the scooter
- Begin riding
To end the trip, take a photo of the parked scooter. The price of the trip is immediately withdrawn from the user's credit card.
Bird will also be offering the following programs to users:
- Community Pricing – Bird's Community Pricing Program offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens.
- Free rides for healthcare workers and emergency personnel