Electric bikes have now joined the Bird mobility fleet. (Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News)

By Eli J. Ridder

IN THE COMMUNITY

Electric scooters, joined by bikes, return to Medicine Hat for third summer

May 16, 2024 | 12:53 PM

Electric scooters have returned to Medicine Hat for a third year in a row.

This time, they are joined by bicycles also powered by a battery.

The rideshare service, provided by Bird, started as a pilot project two years ago.

As of 2024, it has graduated into a fully-fledged one-year contract with the City of Medicine Hat that includes the option to renew each year for the next four years.

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The Bird electric scooters can be found around the city. (Eli J. Ridder/CHAT News)

Ridership of the mobility service increased year-over-year, a trend the city’s business and innovation coordinator Kara Brake said Thursday she expects to continue.

“The second year we actually saw an increase in riders, and we also saw an increase of people using on a regular basis,” Brake said.

“Some people were using it daily for a week to go to work or to go to school,” she added.

“It was great to see those riderships improve, and we’re expecting the same thing over this year.”

The Bird app used to locate the electric scooters and bikes can be downloaded from the App Store and the Play Store.