In bid to self-regulate, scooter company Bird unveils new data dashboard

Bird just announced they have launched a new data dashboard to, “help cities incorporate and manage e-scooters into their transportation mix.”

A company spokesman tells us, “For starters, the platform will include: A data dashboard of Bird usage; Geo-fencing capabilities to tell Bird riders not to ride or park somewhere; Community mode so anyone can report unsafe riding or parking; Rider education — ability to customize messages to a city’s rider base (such as “no riding on Main Street today because of the big parade.”).”

Bird is one of three scooter companies participating in the City of Portland’s Shared Electric Scooter Pilot Program which will run through the end of September.

Here’s the full announcement of the new features:

Bird Announces New GovTech Products and Team; Cities Primary Customer for New Offerings

VENICE, Calif., Aug. 29, 2018 – Bird, the leader in last-mile electric mobility, today unveiled its GovTech Platform, a comprehensive set of technologies and products built in coordination with and for cities. The platform will help local governments incorporate and manage e-scooters as part of their transportation infrastructure.

As ridership grows across the more than 40 cities in which Bird operates, information collected about e-scooter trips becomes more robust and can be used to help paint a detailed story about the transportation opportunities and challenges that exist throughout a community. Given the dynamic nature of this anonymized and aggregated information and its ability to significantly benefit communities, Bird’s Government Technology team is creating a comprehensive, customized dashboard to provide cities direct access to digestible information. In addition to the dashboard, Bird is also delivering cities the ability to geo-fence specific no-ride and no-parking zones, providing members of any community an easy way to report irresponsible riding and poor parking and increasing rider education.

This industry-leading offering, rolling out to cities where Bird operates, includes four initial products:

Data dashboards: Bird has always offered anonymized data to cities in which it operates, but found this to sometimes be clunky and difficult for cities to parse through. The Bird city-specific dashboard will make it easier to provide insights into Bird usage to inform and educate overall operations within a specific city. The initial release of the dashboard will utilize API endpoints on vehicle status and trip data to create aggregated and categorized reports, specifically addressing any complaints and/or other pain points for cities.

Geo-fencing: Bird’s new geo-fencing capability will help ensure riders do not violate no rides zones and no parking zones.
With geo-fencing, the Bird app can indicate to riders locations within a city where e-scooters are prohibited. These locations can be modified over time to reflect various events that may impact ride zones.
Geo-fencing will also be used to alert riders on where to find designated parking zones and to avoid no parking areas.

Community Mode: The Bird app, available to anyone, will provide individuals the ability to easily report to the company incidents of unsafe riding, riding on sidewalks, or poor parking. This will help Bird flag riders’ policy violations, allow the company to remind those riders to follow all rules of the road, and take any further actions necessary against repeat offenders.

Rider Education: The Bird app will feature prominent, customizable messages at the beginning of every ride, educating riders about local rules and safe riding. Cities will be able to request particular, everyday messages such as “no sidewalk riding,” as well as date-specific messaging such as providing guidance on riding behavior during major holidays and events.

Leading Bird’s efforts in government-technology and global city partnerships are two new leadership hires: Marla Westervelt, Senior Manager of Government Solutions, and Ben Handzo, Lead Product Manager. Westervelt comes from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, where she was Senior Transportation Planner specializing in policy research. Handzo joins from NationBuilder where he was the Vice President of Product, leading their product and engineering teams through the 2016 presidential election.

“The cities we serve are Bird’s number-one customer, and partnering with them to deliver the data, insights, and products they need to advance their mobility programs and reduce congestion in their communities is essential,” said Travis VanderZanden, CEO and Founder of Bird. “As the pioneer in e-scooter sharing, we see this as the next phase in creating true partnership and integration with the more than 40 cities we operate in today. With this expanded team and product offerings, Bird will continue to lead the industry forward and get us closer to our vision of reduced traffic and carbon emissions.”

Bird was founded with one mission in mind: getting cars off the road to help improve the mobility and well-being of communities where Bird operates. This platform is designed to support this mission by combining people and technology to provide unique solutions for local governments. Bird is working to deliver these products to the current and future cities the company serves, and will continue to expand their efforts in the GovTech sector.

About Bird

Bird is a last-mile electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to communities across the world. It provides a fleet of shared electric scooters that can be accessed via smartphone. Birds give people looking to take a short journey across town or down that “last-mile” from the subway or bus to their destination a way to do so that does not pollute the air or add to traffic. Bird works closely with the cities in which it operates so that Bird is a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is headquartered in Venice, Calif., and is rapidly expanding across the country. Follow Bird on Instagram (www.instagram.com/bird), on Twitter at @BirdRide, and find more information at www.bird.co.