Mobility app Bird to pilot electric scooter sharing at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Electric scooter sharing platform Bird has announced plans to pilot its service in London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The trial will allow people heading between Stratford and tech campus Here East to find and unlock electric scooters using the Bird app.

It follows launches in Paris, Brussels, Vienna, Antwerp and Zurich, where Bird is working to solve ‘the last mile’ problem – offering a mode of transport for journeys that are too short for buses or trains but too long to walk.

Many of these last-mile journeys are made using cars, according to Bird, but this only worsens city congestion and carbon emissions. The company’s goal is to give people an environmentally friendly alternative.

Bird scooters are GPS tracked and power down if they cross the park boundary or deviate from the approved route.

Bird’s UK head, Richard Corbett, said: “One of the biggest issues modern cities face is increasing congestion and decreasing air quality.

“Bird’s mission is to help solve these problems by getting people out of cars and onto environmentally friendly sharable electric scooters.”

Richard Corbett

He continued: “We’re really excited to be launching the UK’s first electric scooter pilot - helping connect the Here East campus with Stratford.

“We really hope people will try Bird in the Olympic Park and see the advantages it brings.”

Bird’s London office is based at Plexal, the innovation centre at Here East.

Here East CEO Gavin Poole said: “New technologies are able to offer an exciting array of innovative solutions to move around our cities.

“Mobility is one of the most exciting sectors for digital disruption and this news is testament to a city that is embracing the future.”

He added: “As London’s largest and fastest growing tech and innovation campus, Bird fits into Here East’s wider vision and we are looking forward to seeing what Bird will bring to our community.”

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