Bird electric scooter rentals roll into Xenia
Sep. 21—XENIA — Short-term rental scooters have come to the streets of downtown Xenia, via Los-Angeles based scooter company Bird.
Riders will need to download the Bird app to use a scooter. The app shows you the closest scooter to your location, according to city officials. Use the app to unlock it prior to riding, and pay for the amount of time you'd like to use it. Unlocking a scooter will cost $1, then usage costs between $.39 and $.59 per minute.
City leaders said that Xenia is a "perfect fit" for the scooters, otherwise known as "shared mobility devices."
"Xenia's historic downtown and bike trail system provide an excellent environment in which to operate these scooters," said City Planner Brian Forschner.
Riders must follow all traffic and safety laws while using the scooters, the city said. Scooters are welcome to be ridden in the bike lanes, and are only allowed on roadways with speed limits of 45 mph and below. Riders must be 18 years or older to operate a scooter and helmet use is encouraged. When users are finished with their ride, scooters must be parked in a designated parking area or on the sidewalk in a way that does not block pedestrian traffic, the city said.
Los-Angeles based scooter company Bird is currently active in more than 450 cities across the country, including Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati, and Springfield.
Scooters are expected to provide an "affordable, low-impact mobility option for residents and visitors," and may provide a small economic boost to downtown and nearby business districts, as well as the city's bike paths, according to city documents.
Electric scooters have grown in popularity across the region and country. Dayton and Columbus are among local cities that allow shared mobility devices like e-scooters. Others, like Beavercreek, Centerville and Oakwood have banned them, citing "visual clutter" and safety concerns.
Bird offers customer support by phone at 1-866-205-2442. General questions may be emailed to hello@bird.co.
