Despite widespread popularity last semester, Bird scooters are not returning to campus.
Student Government Association President Ty Kelley said because they changed their business model, keeping the scooters would be difficult.
“The process for getting them back has been challenging,” Kelley said. “One reason we were able to bring Bird to campus so quickly over the summer was because they entered into an indemnification agreement with the university in which they accepted full liability for any Bird related accidents. Without this agreement, the university would be liable if any Bird related accidents happened on campus, so the university cannot continue its partnership with Bird.”
Kelley said their contract has a 30-day withdrawal period, and once that has passed, SGA and administration can choose another company. Currently, they are looking into alternatives including Bird’s main competitor, Lime.
The scooters did not benefit the university financially, though SGA had a profit-sharing deal with Bird in which they received $1 per scooter per day that was nested on campus.
Kelley said he has a call scheduled with Bird on Friday to figure out next steps.
“If the call is unsuccessful, we will most definitely be looking for a new vendor,” Kelley said.
