Council questions Bird Scooters over 'unprofessional' practices

Bird, a new transportation company based on motorized scooters, placed “nests” of their scooters around Homewood on Aug. 28 without an announcement or applying for a business license. At the Sept. 10 City Council meeting, council members made their displeasure with that business approach clear.

Servando Esparza, Bird’s senior manager of government relations for the region, came to the meeting to talk more about how Bird works and broach the possibility of working with the City Council to fix what he called “frustrations” with the company operating without a license. Bird has applied for a license since its initial launch in Homewood.

However, Ward 5 Rep. Peter Wright called their approach “incredibly unprofessional,” and several other council members voiced their concerns.

“You can’t just be flippant about that,” Wright said.

“It was a bit of a shock,” Ward 4 Rep. Barry Smith said. “We don’t typically appreciate people coming to get their business license after they launch.”

The police department impounded 51 Bird scooters found on public property around Homewood, and Esparza said Bird has reclaimed those and any others shown on GPS to be on private property in the city.

Bird is a California-based company that offers motorized scooters intended for short rides that are too far to walk but too short to drive, Esparza said. The scooters are GPS-tracked and unlocked with an app, charging customers $1 to unlock and 20 cents per minute. Their max speed is 15 miles per hour, he said.

The scooters must be charged every night, so Esparza said Bird employees gather them at around 8 p.m. daily and return them to their “nests” around the city, chosen based on foot traffic, around 7 a.m.

City attorney Mike Kendrick said he has found it is Bird’s practice “all over the country” to launch in a similar way as they did in Homewood, placing the scooters out overnight without licensing.

While the business license issue was a major concern for the council, they also had concerns about the safety of the scooters. Bird has an age limit of 18 or older to use the scooters, enforced by scanning a driver’s license to set up an account, but Smith noted that she has seen parents unlock the scooters for their kids. Esparza said they encourage people to report improper use of the scooters, which can result in a user being warned and then banned from the app.

Safety of riders was also a concern, as the scooters don’t come with helmets. Esparza said riders must view a safety slideshow before their first ride and can request a Bird helmet be mailed to them, but Wright said that does little to protect riders in the short term.

Esparza said Bird provides indemnification agreements to cities, but Ward 4 Rep. Alex Wyatt pointed out that those don’t do much good if they aren’t provided and signed before the business begins operation.

Esparza said he was “encouraged by the high level of interest” from Homewood residents about the scooters. Ward 5 Rep. Jennifer Andress said she had heard from residents interested in using them as well, but no other council members said they had heard from people on the matter.

Since Bird is a new form of transportation company, Kendrick said existing city regulations don’t properly apply to it. The City Council voted on a 60-day moratorium on operating the scooters in city limits, while they discuss new ordinances and whether to allow the company to operate.

Kendrick encouraged Esparza to provide information on regulations or agreements made with other cities as Homewood discusses the issue.

The council also:

• Recognized September as gynecologic cancer awareness month, with the mayor presenting a resolution with Homewood resident and cancer survivor Cheryl Bourn.
• Recognized the Fire Department for its recent ISO top rating, making it one of less than 400 departments nation wide to receive the Class 1 ranking.
• Approved the mayor to sign an agreement with ALDOT to create a crosswalk and pedestrian signals on Shades Creek Parkway near the Marriott. Several council members praised Andress for her work in getting a difficult project approved, with Wright calling it proof that “tenacity does pay off.”
• Approved an amended agreement with ALDOT for the 18th Street beautification project that increases Homewood’s contribution to the project by about $1,800. The agreement was approved on the condition that it makes no major changes to the scope of the work, which includes realignment of lanes, parking and landscaping.
• Approved $5,000 for a survey of Reese Street, to consider making it a one-way street from Central Avenue to Linden Avenue.
• Approved the sale of surplus fire department equipment.
• Carried over discussion of continuing a contract with AT&T Uverse, to allow the city’s cable commission time to review it.
• Dropped discussion of speeding issues on Devon Drive, after a traffic study showed the majority of traffic averages around 25 to 28 miles per hour. However, the city will look into options for new or additional speed signage.
• Dropped discussion of creating a covered bus shelter on 18th Street, as the Birmingham Jefferson County Transit Authority is taking care of building the shelter.
• Dropped a public nuisance hearing for 218 Summit Parkway, as the owner has brought the property into compliance.