By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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MACHESNEY PARK — You will soon be able to zip around the village on an electric scooter.
Bird e-scooters arrive in Machesney Park on Monday, village officials announced on Friday.
“Machesney Park is joining a global community of more than 350 cities who have chosen to offer residents and visitors a new, environmentally friendly way to explore their area,” Mayor Steve Johnson said in a news release. “We hope everyone enjoys their rides.”
Related: Bird e-scooters are back in Rockford with new models
The scooters have been in Rockford since May 2021, and there were more than 20,000 rides in the city in the first six months.
Now, the service has expanded north in Winnebago County.
“We applaud the village of Machesney Park for their commitment to offering convenient, environmentally friendly and reliable transportation options to residents and visitors,” said Austin Marshburn, head of city and university partnerships at Bird.
Like Rockford, Bird scooters will only be able to operate in certain boundaries in the village. You can see a map of those boundaries and preferred parking areas below.
Bird offers a 50% discount to low-income riders, veterans, seniors and some nonprofit and community organizations through its community pricing program. Those who qualify can sign up by downloading the Bird app, creating an account and emailing proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.
There are also free rides for health care workers and emergency responders. Those who qualify can
sign up by emailing a copy of their medical identification card, name and phone number to together@bird.co. Eligible riders receive two free 30-minute rides per day.
Learn to ride a Bird scooter
Watch our simple tutorial with Chelsea Meyer of B103 to see how to use Bird scooters.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter @KevinMHaas.