Bird e-bikes and e-scooters expanding to locations throughout the county
Annapolis, MD (May 16, 2023) - On Thursday, Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman and Annapolis Mayor Gavin Buckley will arrive by bike or scooter at 8:00 am at Susan B. Campbell Park near Annapolis City Dock to welcome cyclists participating in the annual Bike to Work Day event. The County Executive and Mayor will ride to the park to celebrate the day and announce the county’s new partnership with Bird, to bring e-bikes and e-scooters to more locations in the county.
“To get cars off the road, we must provide alternative modes of transportation to our residents,” said County Executive Pittman. “As we celebrate Bike to Work Day, I’m thrilled to announce our new partnership with Bird to provide our residents and visitors a new, environmentally friendly way to travel around our county.”
Bird has been operating in Annapolis since 2022. E-bikes and E-scooters will now be deployed in the County, in areas surrounding the City, including the Parole Town Center.
“Micro-mobility devices and shared systems are an integral component of the Walk and Roll Anne Arundel Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan,” said Sam Snead, Director of the Anne Arundel County Office of Transportation. “These options will offer new and powerful ways to help people meet their transportation needs and overcome barriers that would otherwise prevent them from taking active forms of transportation.”
Bird helps promote livable communities by reducing car trips, traffic, and carbon emissions. These eco-friendly e-bike and e-scooters provide an alternative to gas-powered car trips or a mobility option for residents without cars when going on daily trips to the store, meeting up with friends, or exploring the community. They can be activated through Bird’s free mobile phone application.
"We applaud Anne Arundel County for their commitment to offering convenient, environmentally friendly, and reliable transportation options to residents and visitors,” said Chris Stockwell, Director of Government Partnerships at Bird. “We're excited to build a more regional micro-mobility system for the Anne Arundel community."
Special pricing and discounts are available to low-income riders, Pell grant recipients, select local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans, and senior citizens. Free rides are also available to healthcare workers and emergency personnel. Qualifying riders can sign up by downloading the Bird app, creating an account, and emailing proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
Bike to Work Day is organized regionally by the Baltimore Metropolitan Council and locally by the county’s Rideshare Program Manager Jessica Charles-Allen, with support from Bicycle and Pedestrian Senior Planner, Tanya Asman, and volunteers Jon Korin and Lois Findlay from BikeAAA.
The event will also showcase other mobility programs available to residents. Cycling Without Age (CWA) is an example of a new program sponsored by Bicycle Advocates for Annapolis and Anne Arundel County (BikeAAA) that provides rides on a disability-friendly electric-assist trishaw to senior citizens in our communities.
The public is welcome to ride or walk to the event in support of multimodal transportation as a means of getting to and from work or other destinations. Residents can register to participate in the event at biketoworkmd.com.