WHILL & Bird Make Mobility Options Available on Demand in Pilot Program
WHILL and Bird electric vehicles were
on display at the 2022 CES (Consumer
Electronics Show) in Las Vegas.
You probably recognize the Bird name
because of its lines of electric scooters and
bicycles available for rent in many city
centers.
Now the micromobility company is partnering
with power mobility device manufacturer
WHILL, and with Scootaround,
a mobility rental provider, on a pilot
program to bring accessible vehicle rentals
to several major American cities.
The program includes rentable WHILL
Model Ci2 vehicles, which can be
accessed via the Bird app.
Kerry Renaud, CEO/Managing Director
of Scootaround, said of the program,
“WHILL/Scootaround and Bird share
the fundamental belief that personal,
accessible mobility should be available to
everyone who needs it.
“As micromobility options such as
shared bikes and scooters continue to
expand, we must ensure the benefits of
these improved transportation networks
be made as widely available as possible,
including to persons with disabilities.
Innovative partnership programs like this
are an important part of that process, and
we welcome Bird’s proactive participation
in bringing them to life.”
At press time, the pilot program was
operating in New York City, San Diego,
and San Francisco, though a WHILL
news announcement said the program “is
expected to expand rapidly to more cities
in 2022.”
Local residents as well as visitors in
those cities can check on the accessible
vehicle selection available for rental by
using a custom interface on the Bird app.
Upon delivery, vehicle riders receive “a
personal 1:1 tutorial on how to safely
operate the micro-electric vehicle to
ensure that they feel comfortable and
confident using, charging, and storing
their vehicle throughout the duration of
their rental.”
Bird is also providing a toll-free number
to answer questions that renters have. For
more information on WHILL’s offerings,
visit whill.inc/us.