Building H Index

 

Bird

 
 

INDUSTRY

transportation

Category

mobility services

products Profiled

Bird micromobility(1) rental service

 
 

H-Score

 

68

ranked 1st (tie) of 7 within transportation industry

ranked 4th (tie) of 37 overall

 
 

product description

 

Bird offers access to shared dockless electric scooters and electric bikes through a smartphone app. Bird is available in approximately 200 U.S. cities.

 

product usage

 

After downloading the app and setting up an account, users are given a map interface and can select from available e-bikes and electric scooters. Users (presumably) walk to the location of their selected vehicle, ride the vehicle to their destination, and park it. Users pay on a per trip basis. Bird is also integrated with Google Maps and has plans to integrate with the transit planning app Moovit (the integration is currently active in Europe). Users of those services can access and reserve Bird vehicles directly through their maps.

 
 

influence on health-related behaviors

 
 

EATING

neutral influence

 

There is no obvious connection between the use of Bird’s service and a user’s eating habits.

 
 

PHYSICAL ACTVITY

slight to moderate positive influence

 

Bird’s influence on physical activity is based on the degree to which its users use its service in addition to or as a substitute for car travel, which requires less physical activity. Bird’s two modes -- e-bikes and electric scooters -- offer different levels of activity, with e-bikes requiring users to be more active. (Note that Bird uses e-assist bikes that require pedaling.) As Bird has only recently rolled out its bikeshare service, data on the split between bike use and scooter use was not available. Bird also promotes cycling by integrating local public bikeshare services into its app.

Bird has indicated that one in three of its scooter rides displaced car or rideshare trips.(2) In addition to Bird’s data, two industry analyses of scooter and bike share use indicate a significant displacement of automobile trips: 40-45% of scooter trips are in place of taxi, rideshare or personal auto. On the other hand, the studies showed 27-28% replaced walking.(3,4)

 

opportunities:

  • Expand access to bike share service.
 
 

Sleeping

neutral to slight positive influence

 

Bird’s service has no obvious direct effects on sleeping, although to the extent that it influences physical activity and time spent outdoors, it could indirectly influence sleep as both of those behaviors are positively correlated with better sleep.  

 
 

Engaging Socially

slight to moderate positive influence

 

To the extent that Bird facilitates people leaving their homes by providing multiple low-cost transportation options, it could lead to casual social interactions, which have been shown to have a positive effect on mental health.

The open-air nature of both of its transportation modes makes it easier for riders to see, recognize, and stop to greet other people along the way than if they were traveling by car.

 

opportunities:

  • Promote (through discounts or other means) riding in pairs or groups.
 
 

Getting Outdoors

moderate positive influence

 

Both transportation modes offered by Bird take place outdoors, thus to the extent that Bird promotes substituting car rides and public transportation with open-air modes, it leads to more time spent outdoors.

 

opportunities:

  • Offer city/town tours on the bikes/scooters, either with a tour guide or a self-touring app.
 
 
 
 

Notes

 

  1. “Micromobility” refers to a range of personal vehicles ridden at speeds of approximately 15 mph or less.

  2. Bird. 7 Ways Bird is Increasing Global Access to Transportation Options. Bird Cities Blog, July 2, 2019

  3. North American Bikeshare and Scootershare Association. 2020 Shared Micromobility State of the Industry Report. August 5, 2020

  4. National Association of City Transportation Officials. Shared Micromobility in the U.S. 2019.