Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Bird Expands Dockless Scooters To Paris

In its first move to international markets, Santa Monica-based Bird said on Tuesday that it is launching into Paris, as part of its first expansion into international markets. Bird said it is launching a pilot program in Paris, and also plans to deploy its scooters in Tel Aviv. The expansion to Paris follows the entry of chief competitor Lime, which deployed its own scooters in Paris earlier this year. Bird and Lime have been in a massive funding-and-expansion race, with both companies scrambling to deploy as many scooters into as many cities as possible to gain market share. Both Lime and Bird have been running roughshod over local municipalities in their rapid deployment of their scooters, taking an Uber-like approach of deploying their scooters first and asking permission of local governments later; even in Bird's hometown of Santa Monica, the local police department has been cracking down on scooter companies, just one of dozens of municipalities trying to deal with the proliferation of electric-powered vehicles on their sidewalks.