Bird is back in Burlington and beyond with e-bikes to share after emerging from bankruptcy

Bird is back.

You may recall the bikeshare company serving Chittenden County with bright blue e-bikes declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last December, but said it would continue to operate as usual. Turns out they weren't kidding. Bird is back in business in Burlington and beyond, according to the Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA), having launched on March 18 for the 2024 season.

Sandy Thibault, executive director of CATMA, told the Burlington Free Press that in the first four weeks of the relaunch there were 4,000 rides totaling about 4,500 miles of riding, "which includes our eclipse visitors." Vermont experienced a total eclipse of the sun on April 8 , drawing thousands of visitors from outside the state.

"Despite facing headwinds, Bird is here and has exhibited a commitment to our community including a carefully thought-out relaunch plan," CATMA said in a statement. "The plan includes tools and resources to better manage inappropriately parked bikes and make sure bikes are placed in locations through the system including Burlington, South Burlington, Winooski and our neighborhoods."

Those headwinds, i.e. bankruptcy, were calmed by organizing a new parent company called Third Lane Mobility Inc, which acquired both Bird and Spin, another bikeshare company. Together the two companies have more than 200,000 e-bikes and e-scooters across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Earlier this year, Third Lane announced it was launching service in several cities new to its system, including Corpus Christi, Texas; Greensboro, North Carolina; the University of Illinois; Surrey and Mississauga, Canada; Naples and Torino, Italy; as well as renewing its service in Gap, France and Zaragoza, Spain.

Bird by the numbers for 2023

CATMA, a nonprofit, entered into an agreement with Bird to provide electric-assist bikes last June, reiterating its commitment to bikeshare as "an essential transportation option in Chittenden County." CATMA called Bird a success story in 2023, citing ridership data:

• 5,200 members.
• 27,015 trips.
• 4.72 tons of carbon dioxide saved.
• 300% increase from old system to new system with Bird.

It costs $1 to unlock a Bird bike and 49 cents per minute for the duration of your trip, which averaged 10 minutes long in 2023. Bird offers a Community Pricing Program with a 50% discount for low-income riders, Pell Grant recipients, certain local nonprofit and community organizations, veterans and seniors. CATMA members are eligible for a 20% discount.

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosi@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DanDambrosioVT.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Bird is back in Burlington and beyond with e-bikes to share after emerging from bankruptcy