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PROVO — Rental electric scooters and e-bikes are back in Provo after a brief hiatus as the city switched vendors.
Provo officials reached a deal with Bird Global, which will provide a "gradual release" of up to 500 electric scooters and 200 e-bikes for anyone to rent under a mobility program agreement that launched over the weekend. Terms of the deal weren't immediately provided.
"Active transportation is now fully available to all who live, work and play in Provo. Our partnership with Bird finally fulfills our mobility goal of providing both e-bikes and scooters to our community," Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi said in a statement Monday.
The city first launched a scooter pilot program in 2019 and previously worked with Superpedestrian, but its deal expired at the end of September. City officials said on Oct. 3 that there was a delay with a new vendor, which resulted in a temporary pause of rental electric scooters in Provo up until that agreement was finalized.
Bill Pepperone, the director of Provo Development Services, explained that the scooters and e-bikes offer an "essential link" in mass transit, allowing anyone to either connect with public transportation or get to their final destination after exiting transit. One of these destinations could be BYU since bikes will be allowed on its campus.
However, these rental scooters and e-bikes can also serve as recreational vehicles.
"(It's) is not unusual to see citizens using scooters on the Provo River trail as far north as Bridal Veil Falls," Pepperone said.
The agreement is Bird's latest in Utah. The Miami-based company has similar deals with about a dozen Utah cities, including Provo's northern neighbor, Orem.
Bird officials said Monday they will work with local businesses and community health organizations to advertise the service and offer discounted programs. For example, students, teachers, veterans, senior citizens and residents with low incomes may qualify for a 50% discount, according to the company. While scooters are normally unlocked through a smartphone app, they add that scooters can also be rented through other means.
