Why Bird Ended its Infrastructure Funding Program

Months after ending a program to help cities fund transportation infrastructure improvements, a company official says city governments were misusing the funds.

1 minute read

September 9, 2019, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Scooter Share

Rachid Jalayanadeja / Shutterstock

"Micromobility firm Bird quietly phased out a program to help cities pay for protected bike lanes and improve infrastructure earlier this year over concerns about how the money was being spent," reports Jason Plautz.

Maurice Henderson, the company’s director of government partnerships, confirmed the news at the Colorado Smart Cities Symposium, held in Denver in August.

"The program had been established to set aside $1 per scooter per day to pay for bike lane maintenance," according to Plautz. 

Angie Schmitt broke the news of the program's demise in January.

"Henderson said during a panel discussion that the company found 'most cities were taking the dollars they were getting out of the program and plugging budget holes as opposed to plugging potholes.'"

Wednesday, August 21, 2019 in Smart Cities Dive

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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