TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bird Global, Inc. (NYSE:BRDS, “Bird”), a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation, today announced that it will be expanding across the Greater Toronto Area this Spring. Bird will be the exclusive operator of shared e-scooters in the City of Hamilton beginning April 3rd, 2023, and will operate shared e-scooter fleets in both Brampton and Oshawa in the coming weeks. All three launches follow rigorous RFP processes in which Bird was selected based on its commitment to safe, sustainable, and reliable transportation. These new markets build on Bird’s footprint in Canada, solidifying its position as the biggest shared micromobility operator in Canada, and a leader around the world. Bird will now operate in five cities in Ontario, including Ottawa and Windsor, as well as 11 other cities across Canada. These new markets will expand on Bird’s already full year-EBITDA positive operations in Canada.
Bird will join the City of Hamilton for a launch event on April 3rd at 12:30pm ET at City Hall. Remarks will be made by members of Hamilton City Council, and Stewart Lyons, President of Bird. Riders at the event will be able to receive a free helmet, ride scooters, and ask any questions of Bird team members and Bird’s Safe Street Patrol.
“Since our earliest days, we’ve been committed to partnering with cities to expand access to reliable, sustainable transportation through shared micromobility programs and expanding in the Greater Toronto Area has long been a high priority for us,” said Stewart Lyons, President, Bird. “I was born and raised in Ontario so I’m thrilled to see us expanding in the province, enabling people to use Bird to commute, explore the region, and connect with transit. We extend our sincere gratitude to the City of Hamilton, the City of Brampton, and the City of Oshawa for their thoughtful and innovative approaches to establishing these programs and collaborating on frameworks that will help ensure each program’s success.”
“I am very excited about Brampton’s E-Scooter pilot program which is launching next month,” said Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown. “I want to congratulate Bird for being selected as one of our operators. Benefits of this program include providing a sustainable transportation option to everyone in the community while solving public transit’s last-mile challenge, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving transportation choice, and supporting the tourism economy.”
Bird will bring 450 top-of-the-line Bird Three shared electric scooters to Hamilton, 250 to Brampton, and 300 to Oshawa. Scooters will be available in locations throughout each city. The Bird Three is Bird’s latest and most eco-friendly vehicle, with a number of safety, sustainability, and design features including a longer footboard for a more comfortable riding experience, an industry-leading IP68-rated batteries, and a suite of safety features. Full riding and parking rules will be available on each city’s website.
Since Bird began operations in Canada in 2019, Bird riders have taken over three million trips and traveled over eight million kilometers. In just four years, this has saved 316,483* litres of gasoline from being used and over 2,150 metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere. In 2022 alone, thousands of Bird Canada riders helped 552,810 car journeys be avoided, by choosing to ride an e-scooter or e-bike.*
In late 2022, a survey** of over 3,000 Bird riders found that 98% of respondents (in all locations) agree the program made a positive impact on their community. 39.1% of those surveyed highlighted environmental friendliness as the reason for choosing e-vehicles over alternative methods of transport, with 57% of riders combining e-scooter trips with taking public transit or walking to using cars to travel. 69% of 2022 trips resulted in a direct purchase from a local business, with an average spend of $38 per trip. In 2022 alone, Bird Canada users contributed an estimated $32.8 million to the economy by supporting local businesses. More information available here.
To download the Bird app, riders can visit go.bird.co
*Based on assumptions that 45% of all trips taken would have been automobile trips should e-scooters not have been available.
**Survey conducted by Bird Canada between November 1st and November 9, 2022, with 3030 respondents.
About Bird
Bird is an electric vehicle company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions such as e-scooters and e-bikes to communities across the world. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird’s cleaner, affordable, and on-demand mobility solutions are available in more than 350 cities, primarily across the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. We take a collaborative, community-first approach to micromobility. Bird partners closely with the cities in which it operates to provide a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there.
Forward-Looking Statements
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