Electric scooter sharing company Bird has announced that it is launching pilot programs in Tel Aviv and Paris. This will be the first time that Bird is introducing its fleet of dock-free electric scooters outside of the US.
Bird's newly appointed Head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) Patrick Studener said, "In Tel Aviv, thousands of people have already embraced e-scooters as a way to get to work, school, or to the beach without sitting in traffic. By launching the ridesharing model there, Bird can make it more convenient for Tel Avivians to get a ride and help accelerate the adoption of these environmentally-friendly vehicles."
Bird will introduce its Israeli program with a pilot through Tel Aviv University.
Bird CEO Travis VanderZanden said, "Having expanded innovative transportation options globally, I learned that when it comes to getting from point A to point B, there is more that unites us than divides us - and too often, that's wanting an option besides sitting in a car in traffic. We are honored to be able to offer our solution to Paris, Tel Aviv, and - down the road - to more cities as we work toward our goal of getting cars off of the road and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions."
Leading Bird in Israel is Yaniv Rivlin, who most recently was a Senior Program Officer at the Schusterman Family Foundation and received his master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University. He said, "We will provide the perfect solution for the final kilometer of journeys and traveling within cities."
Bird will charge NIS 5 for renting the scooter and NIS 0.50 for every minute of use. Users returning fully charged scooters will receive NIS 20.
In Paris and Tel Aviv, Bird says it will commit to collecting all of its vehicles each night for charging and necessary maintenance and practicing responsible growth by only adding more vehicles when each Bird averages three or more rides per day.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on August 1, 2018
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