By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current

ROCKFORD — Electric scooters have proved popular during their first summer in the city with roughly 14,000 rides taken in the first three months of the service.

Bird electric scooters arrived in the city in mid-May, and roughly 5,000 individuals have taken a ride, according to data provided by the city. Approximately 1,000 people have used the scooters multiple times.

“We’ve been really pleased not only with the numbers but with the community acceptance,” said Karl Franzen, the city’s director of community and economic development.

The company also expanded this summer to Freeport and Beloit.

The scooters, which can move up to 15 miles per hour, will remain in service until the weather turns colder, although there is no set end date. They’ll then be pulled off the streets until spring.

The scooters’ use is limited to a designated zone in the city bounded by Central Avenue, Auburn Street, Morgan Street and Third Street. Franzen said the area could expand in the future, although no such determination has been made.

“Our plan is to go through the season and then really look through the data to determine what expansion or what modifications would need to be made to the service,” Franzen said.

Lime, the city’s first attempt at a short-distance ridesharing program, pulled its green GPS-equipped bicycles off the streets in February 2019 after launching in April 2018. The city viewed Lime bikes as a success, but the company decided to pull out of Rockford, Franzen said.

“It wasn’t because ridership wasn’t there; it was because they were changing their model,” he said. “The industry sees better utilization on scooters than a shared bike system.”

Bird scooters are seen by the city as part of a comprehensive approach to transportation. While most people use the scooters for recreation, they could also help close the transportation gap on short distances that may be too far for some to walk but aren’t easily served by other public transportation.

“We know that people are less likely to walk somewhere or go somewhere if it’s more than a quarter mile away,” Franzen said. “That last mile has been a problem with transportation planners since the industry began.”

By the numbers | Bird electric scooters in Rockford

13,361: Total rides from June 1 through Aug. 31 in Rockford

4,764: Individual riders from June 1 through Aug. 31 in Rockford

1,000: Approximate number of repeat users

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rmgmwf.com or follow him on Twitter @KevinMHaas.