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MOUNT VERNON — A Knox Pages reader asked the newsroom: “Who will be responsible if these BIRD scooters damage a vehicle or get killed? Who in Mount Vernon is making money allowing this?”
BIRD, the electric pay-to-ride scooters, have been seen around Mount Vernon since they arrived here in 2021.
Though there’s a payment required to ride, Mount Vernon’s city government doesn’t make a dime from this venture, Mayor’s Assistant Todd Hill said.
BIRD scooters, founded in Florida in 2017, were brought to Mount Vernon on May 14, 2021, after a memorandum of understanding was signed with Bird Co.
Currently, 60 scooters are deployed in Mount Vernon, according to a BIRD representative. BIRD operates in Mount Vernon at no cost to the city, according to a BIRD representative, adding the scooters bring economic benefit to the community by increased spending and support for local businesses.
The BIRD representative also said for accidents, responsibility is tied to the causation and 99.99% of BIRD rides don’t end in any incidents.
