Rome begins to reopen, partners with Bird electric scooters

Rome’s mayor Virginia Raggi has decided to take drastic measures to reduce dependence on personal automobiles. Electric scooter operators like Bird are taking a leading role in supporting this effort by providing mobility alternatives that also allow for social distancing. A fleet of Bird One electric scooters was launched in Rome followed by a press conference with the Mayor in front of Rome’s world-renowned Colosseum to introduce some of the steps Bird is taking to promote micromobility as an everyday alternative to cars. Along with a Community Mode feature that allows anyone with the Bird app to quickly report incorrect parking and damaged scooters, Bird is offering several subscription options that provide additional free funds into riders’ accounts based on the package selected. They are topping up subscriptions by up to 40% to ensure that people do not return to their cars.