{"id":26295,"date":"2022-08-09T15:50:32","date_gmt":"2022-08-09T20:50:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/?p=26295"},"modified":"2022-08-18T13:18:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T18:18:14","slug":"und-welcomes-bird-e-scooters-to-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.und.edu\/und-today\/2022\/08\/und-welcomes-bird-e-scooters-to-campus\/","title":{"rendered":"UND set to welcome Bird e-scooters to campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

New personal-transportation option to provide efficient way to get around the University<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo courtesy of Bird Rides.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Editor\u2019s note:<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0This story has been updated to note that the City of Grand Forks has given final permit approval to the deployment of Bird e-scooters. The rollout of the scooters could happen as early as Thursday, August 18.<\/em><\/p>\n

Birds\u00a0will soon\u00a0start flocking soon to the UND campus, and people will be welcome to hop aboard one and ride.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because these Birds are the dock-free, low-speed electric scooters made by Bird Rides, Inc., a micromobility company based in Miami.\u00a0With the final approval of the permit from the City of Grand Forks now in hand, about 50 Birds are set to be deployed on campus, and another 100 scooters will be placed at locations around the city.<\/p>\n

Once the Birds are available, users will first have to download Bird\u2019s\u00a0mobile-phone app. The app shows available scooters and their locations. Scanning the QR code on the scooter will finalize the rental, and travel cost will be deducted from the rider\u2019s\u00a0credit or debit card account.<\/p>\n

Rides will cost $1 to start up and 39 cents per minute afterward, so there will be no University funding involved. Riders are instructed to stay off of sidewalks and use bike lanes when available or ride along the side of the road, and are advised to wear a helmet.<\/p>\n

The scooters will be collected when they need to be recharged or repaired, then redeployed at established locations around campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cUND Student Government is incredibly excited about the launch of Bird scooters on campus,\u201d said Faith Wahl, UND\u2019s student body president.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognize that these devices provide an opportunity for multimodal transportation for students and have the potential to connect students with the greater Grand Forks community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThroughout the implementation process, our top concern will be student safety, and we are working closely with other UND departments to ensure that the launch of these scooters will be a convenient, affordable and secure method of transportation for UND students,\u201d Wahl continued.<\/p>\n

Cassie Gerhardt, associate vice president for student affairs, agreed. \u201cStudent leaders have been talking about bringing scooters to Grand Forks and UND since 2018, so it is exciting that the scooters will soon arrive,\u201d Gerhardt said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope that the scooters are\u00a0a\u00a0useful mode of transportation for our students, and that the scooters make it easier for students to explore more parts of the Grand Forks community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Once deployed, riders will be able to operate the scooters both on-campus and off, though the scooters will be limited to use within the Grand Forks city limits.<\/p>\n

When winter weather arrives, Bird will collect its scooters for \u201chibernation.\u201d The scooters then will be redeployed in the spring.<\/p>\n

The scooters are limited to a maximum speed of 15 mph. The company offers a number of features to its riders, including:<\/p>\n