Birds are arriving in Tacoma, Wash. this weekend.
The Santa Monica, Calif., electric scooter share company plans to launch a fleet in the Tacoma, which neighbors Seattle to the south.
“We are thrilled to have been welcomed by the city as a new, environmentally friendly option for the people of Tacoma,” a Bird spokesperson said.
In September, the City of Tacoma launched a pilot program with Bird competitor Lime, allowing 250 scooters and 100 electric-assist bicycles to be deployed. Bird is now joining that pilot with 250 of its own scooters. Tacoma will test out scooter share for 60 days before deciding whether to move forward with the services.
Tacoma is speeding ahead of Seattle in the race to adopt new mobility services. Seattle was a pioneer for bike sharing in the U.S. but the city’s Department of Transportation forbids rentable electric scooters, at least for now.
Bird has scaled up rapidly since launching a year ago, expanding to 100 communities. The company has raised a whopping $415 million and is one of several heavily-funded scooter share companies competing to dominate the new mobility market.
