Bird has officially taken flight in Vernon.
The shared micromobility service for e-bikes and e-scooters shared some statistics from the first three months of its year-long partnership with the City of Vernon.
According to Austin Spademan, head of city partnerships with Bird, 30,000 kilometres of rides have taken place since the March 3 launch of the company in the city.
"That is 7.2 metric tons of CO2 avoided," said Spademan. "41 per cent of those rides took place in our lower-cost community pricing zones, and our ridership has been driven by an average of 6.4 rides per rider."
Spademan said that the 6.4 number is a Canadian record. Bird took over for Neuron Mobility as the exclusive e-scooter and e-bike company for Vernon in 2025.
There have been some questions regarding the change in companies. At the Monday, May 26 council meeting, Coun. Brian Quiring inquired into statistics on Bird scooters and bikes, as he has noticed that people "cannot move them" if they are sitting in the middle of sidewalks or in front of businesses.
"The wheels are locked so you can't move them," said Quiring. "You have to move it to rent it, also I want to know how often they go around, as they are scattered all over the place."
Mayor Victor Cumming agreed with Quiring's questions.
"Administration will take that into advisement, as I am curious too, about the use because my observation is that use is way down," said Cumming. "Is that price? Neuron had a high number of people who had monthly passes. Does Bird have those?"
According to Spademan, the scooters can be moved by being "nudged slightly."
"Instead of the public moving them, anyone is more than welcome to contact our local team directly by emailing 311_vernon@birdcanada.ca."
E-scooters are allowed on sidewalks, but must yield to pedestrians and travel at a safe speed. E-bikes are not allowed on sidewalks and must follow standard cycling rules according to the city of Vernon.
The company also has a monthly pass, with Spademan explaining the cost of a 30-day, 300-minute pass is $44.99, which is "just $0.15 per minute."
Bird is currently on a one-year contract with the city, with the ability to extend for three additional one-year terms. The contracts align with the B.C. government's electric kick scooter pilot, which runs until April 5, 2028.
