Seemingly overnight, Bird scooters have flocked to Harrisonburg. I’m sure you have as many questions as we do! How do these contraptions work? How do they get charged? How much are they? Well – we here at Harrisonblog have wondered the same things and we’ve done some sleuthing to find out the answers to these questions! Read on to learn more about the newest addition to Harrisonburg –
the Bird Electric Scooter!About
These ride sharing scooters are controlled by an app. The app is available for both Android and iOS. Once you download the app and enter an email address, it shows you a map of the available scooters and their charge levels. If you’re interested in taking one for a spin, simply open the QR scanner on the app (the Ride button) and scan the code on the scooter. It will then ask you to scan the front and back of your driver’s license. You can enter your credit card information in the app: it costs $1 to unlock and then $0.20 per minute.
The Ride
Ready to ride? To start the electric scooter, simply push the scooter along 2 or 3 times to get the electric motor running and place both feet on the footboard. If available, ride in a bike lane and avoid riding on the sidewalks.
Want to slow down? There is a brake on the left-hand side of the handlebars.
Done riding? Park by a bike rack, if available, and lock the Bird in your app. That’s it!
Please also follow all safety recommendations (like wearing a helmet and riding on the road) and please be courteous to others’ needs while you park on the sidewalk and don’t block walkways etc.
Charging
Unlike other ride sharing programs, Bird scooters don’t have docking/charging stations around town. How do these scooters get charged? Well – if you’re interested in earning a bit extra money, you or your business can become a charging station! Sign up on
their website with your address and bank account, they will send you charging equipment. You can find Birds, charge during the night, and then release in the morning. You get paid daily for the number of scooters charged and the amount varies depending on how hard the Bird is to capture, how many you charge at a time, etc. Make sure that you release the Birds back to the ‘nest’ before 7am or you won’t get paid.Here is an interesting article we found about what it’s like working as a Bird charger.
Zach testing out a Bird Scooter!
Have you tried one of the Bird Scooters? Share your experience in the comments!
