LOS ANGELES, June 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird, a leader in shared environmentally-friendly electric transportation, announced today the addition of shared e-bikes to its fleet of micro-electric vehicles and the launch of Bird Bike. Bird currently operates e-scooters in more than 250 cities globally and will bring its shared bikes and Smart Bikeshare platform to select cities this year.

The shared Bird Bike delivers on Bird's commitment to broadening access to eco-friendly transportation around the world at a time when global demand for bikes and scooters has never been higher. With shared e-bikes, Bird will partner with cities that do not have, or are looking to supplement, an existing bike or scooter-sharing network to offer the highest quality vehicles and operations designed to meet the mobility needs of all riders.

"Shared e-scooters catapulted shared micromobility to the center stage of eco-friendly transportation in cities by providing more than 150 million zero-emission trips globally," said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird. "We are launching our shared Bird Bike and Smart Bikeshare platform to meet fast-growing demand from cities and riders for more sustainable transportation options while expanding our serviceable addressable market by five billion trips per year."

The Shared Bird Bike
Built with safety and durability as the focal points, the shared Bird Bike is a smart, connected vehicle that complements cities' existing transportation networks. Each bike is equipped with a high-powered electric motor capable of powering riders up hills with as much as a 20% grade while its 75-pound frame and step through design offers riders of all sizes a sturdy yet maneuverable vehicle for increased safety. Additionally, the shared Bird Bike has a front basket for storage, large pneumatic tires for a smooth ride, and IoT features such as self-automating onboard diagnostics, geospeed technology and multi-mode geolocation to ensure compliant operations in cities and towns of all sizes.

Smart Bikeshare Platform Meets Demand for Eco-Friendly Transportation
Bird believes shared e-bikes and e-scooters should complement existing clean transportation and mass transit systems while being available and accessible to everyone. With its Smart Bikeshare platform, Bird can provide communities a robust suite of offerings including the Bird Bike, integrations with locally owned and operated bikeshare services, partnerships with transit apps for comprehensive trip planning, and access to additional eco-friendly transportation options such as e-mopeds provided by third parties.

Collaboration is at the heart of Bird's operations, and Bird is the first scooter operator to integrate with existing local shared bike and e-moped providers and transit apps. In Italy for example, Bird is partnering with Zig Zag, a local company, by integrating their vehicle availability directly in the Bird app to promote shared micromobility use. Bird is also working closely with groups like the North American Bikeshare Association (NABSA) and other transportation organizations around the world to bring these kinds of integrations to additional cities.

"Cities and riders are best served by efficient, collaborative and non-monopolized transportation networks," said VanderZanden. "Our vision of smart, responsible bike sharing is to provide the best shared bikes and operations when cities need them, and having the foresight to offer the best support and multimodal integrations when they don't. Cities, people and the planet win when there is greater access to eco-friendly transportation."

Availability
Bird Bike, Bird's newest vehicle built for shared use, will be available in select cities throughout North America, Italy, Spain, Germany, Ireland and France this year. Riders will be able to access Bird Bike via the Bird app's effortless "scan and ride" experience and QR codes on each e-bike.

Cities and others interested in bringing Bird Bike or Bird's Smart Bikeshare platform to their communities can email hello@bird.co for more information.

Press images can be found here.

*The global bike-sharing service market is estimated to grow to over 13.7 billion U.S. dollars by 2026 from 3.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.

About Bird: 
Bird is an electric vehicle company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to communities across the world. Today, it provides a fleet of shared e-scooters to riders in over 250 cities and makes its products available for purchase at www.bird.co and via leading retailers and distribution partners. Bird partners closely with the cities in which it operates to provide a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is rapidly expanding. Follow Bird on Instagram (@bird), on Twitter (@BirdRide), and find more information at www.bird.co. On May 12, 2021, Bird announced that it entered into a definitive business combination agreement with Switchback II Corporation (NYSE: SWBK). For more information visit www.bird.co and https://swbk2.com/.

Media Contact
Jed Hamilton
BirdPR@icrinc.com  

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SOURCE Switchback II Corporation