Bird bikes are electric scooters that can be rented through the Bird app for short trips around cities. The company behind the Bird brand is Bird Rides, Inc., which launched the first Bird scooters in Santa Monica, California in 2017.
The History of Bird
Bird was founded in 2017 by Travis VanderZanden, a former executive at Uber and Lyft. After leaving Lyft, VanderZanden recognized the need for an electric scooter rental system that could provide fast, affordable trips while reducing traffic and pollution in cities.
The first Bird fleet was launched in Santa Monica in September 2017 with just 10 scooters. However, the scooters quickly gained popularity, and Bird expanded to San Francisco later that year. In 2018, Bird raised over $400 million in funding and brought its scooter rental service to over 100 cities across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.
As of 2022, Bird operates in over 400 cities globally and has expanded beyond just electric scooters to add bicycles and mopeds to its rental fleets. The company has raised over $1 billion in funding to date from investors including Sequoia Capital, Craft Ventures, and Goldcrest Capital.
Bird’s Business Model
Bird operates through a dockless rental model. Users can locate and unlock Bird vehicles using the Bird smartphone app, then pay per ride. Rides cost $1 to start then a per minute fee while riding.
This dockless model allows users to pick up and drop off vehicles anywhere, rather than having to find designated docking stations. However, it relies heavily on proper parking and charging of vehicles by users.
Bird uses independent contractors, called “Bird Hunters,” to collect, charge, and redeploy scooters each day. These contractors can earn money by charging and deploying vehicles to areas where they are needed.
Benefits of Bird Scooters
There are several benefits to Bird’s electric scooter rental model:
- Provides an affordable “last mile” transportation option
- Reduces reliance on cars for short urban trips, lowering traffic and pollution
- Dockless model offers convenience and flexibility
- Fun to ride and easy to use through app
By offering shared electric scooters for rent, Bird aims to reduce urban congestion and pollution by replacing more car trips with scooter rides. Bird estimates its scooter rentals have saved tens of millions of pounds of carbon emissions to date.
Who Owns Bird?
Bird is a private company headquartered in Santa Monica, California. Here is a rundown of Bird’s ownership and key investors:
Founder and CEO
Bird was founded and is led by CEO Travis VanderZanden. VanderZanden came up with the idea for Bird in early 2017 and launched the first scooters in Santa Monica later that year.
VanderZanden was previously COO of Lyft and VP at Uber. He identified scooter-sharing as a new business model that could reduce urban congestion and pollution.
Investors
As a startup, Bird has raised extensive venture capital and other outside funding to launch and expand its operations:
Investor | Amount Invested |
---|---|
Sequoia Capital | $350 million |
Creativity Capital | $100 million |
Goldcrest Capital | $75 million |
Craft Ventures | $60 million |
In total, Bird has raised over $1 billion in funding since its founding in 2017.
Acquisitions
Bird has acquired several companies to accelerate its scooter and bike technology:
- Scoot – Bird acquired scooter company Scoot in 2019 for around $25 million. This allowed Bird to expand its scooter operations into San Francisco.
- Circ – In 2020, Bird paid around $65 million to acquire European electric scooter company Circ. This allowed Bird to expand its European presence.
- Vehicles Labs – Bird acquired this electric bike company in 2018 to build out Bird’s electric bicycle offerings and technology.
Bird Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Although Bird initially used off-the-shelf scooters when launching its service in 2017, the company now oversees its own vehicle design and manufacturing supply chain.
Custom Designed Vehicles
Bird has a research and development team that designs its scooters and e-bikes for sharing, durability, and battery life. Features include:
- Durable aircraft-grade aluminum frame
- Custom motor with anti-theft encryption
- Bright LED lights for safety
- Swappable batteries for rapid redeployment
By designing its own vehicles focused on sharing and ruggedness, Bird aims to maximize the availability and lifespan of its rental fleet.
Manufacturing Partners
Bird works with manufacturing partners in Asia to produce its custom scooters and bikes. Key manufacturing partners include:
- Xiaomi – Major Chinese electronics company that produces Bird scooters at its factories in China
- Segway – Produces Bird e-bikes and some custom scooters for Bird
- Okai – Bird uses Okai mini e-scooter models for some of its fleets
Relying on established manufacturers like Xiaomi and Segway allows Bird to ramp up production quickly while maintaining quality standards.
Distribution Hubs
Bird vehicles are shipped from factories to distribution hubs across Bird’s operating regions. Key distribution points include:
- Los Angeles, USA
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Istanbul, Turkey
From these hubs, vehicles can be rapidly deployed to cities when Bird launches in new markets.
The Future of Bird
After establishing a dominant position in electric scooter sharing, Bird is expanding into new vehicle types and markets.
New Vehicle Types
In addition to scooters and e-bikes, Bird is introducing two new form factors:
- Mopeds – Shared electric mopeds for longer urban trips at higher speeds.
- Seated scooters – Lower speed seated scooters providing comfort for longer trips.
These new vehicles types help Bird expand its services offered and tap new urban transportation needs.
New Market Expansion
Bird is still rapidly expanding to new cities around the world. Recent areas of focus include:
- South Korea
- Australia
- South America
The company is tailoring its expansion strategy, vehicles, and operations to suit each new market.
Enhanced Technology
To improve its service, Bird is investing in new technologies including:
- Improved batteries for longer trips
- Sturdier vehicle designs
- Computer vision technology to detect bad parking jobs
- Driver verification systems
By evolving its hardware and software, Bird aims to improve safety and accessibility of its scooter sharing services.
Conclusion
Bird is the pioneering electric scooter sharing startup that launched an entirely new urban transportation model. It was founded by Travis VanderZanden in 2017 and has attracted over $1 billion in funding since then.
Although Bird started with off-the-shelf scooters, it now has an in-house R&D team that designs specialized shared vehicles. It relies on major manufacturers like Xiaomi and Segway to produce its custom scooters and bikes at scale.
After disrupting urban transportation with scooter sharing, Bird is expanding into new vehicle types and global markets. Enhanced technology also remains a priority as Bird aims to improve safety and access. The company looks poised to build on its position as the dominant player in shared electric mobility.