Bird to reduce scooter numbers for winter

Bird Rides, Inc., the company that operates the dockless scooters under the Bird name, has told city officials that it plans to reduce its numbers in Columbia.

The company on Dec. 19 notified the city that it plans to reduce the size of its scooter fleet to fewer than 300 because of lower demand associated with the winter holiday season and weather, the city of Columbia said in a news release. The company said “we intend for this decrease to be temporary and we look forward to resuming our operations in Columbia in full capacity in the near future” in the letter to city officials.

The notice was required seven days prior to Bird’s reduction under city law.

Bird began with a contentious relationship with the city after starting to operate here without a business license. The scooters began appearing in Columbia during the summer, but the city and Bird did not reach an operating agreement until fall. City staff has also warned Bird about its scooters being parked on snowy sidewalks.

Another scooter company, Lime, started operating in Columbia about the same time as Bird but pulled out its scooters for the winter last month.

Dockless scooters have started appearing in cities around the country. Users can rent the machines, which have small electric motors, by using an app.

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