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Bird to Take Over Denver's Dockless E-Scooters, E-Bikes From Lyft

Lyft said it would stop operating dockless vehicles. Now Bird is swooping in.
Image: scooters parked on street
Lyft is scooting out of town, but another company is taking its place. Catie Cheshire
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After much ado about the future of rentable electric scooters and bikes in Denver, the only thing changing is the company behind the vehicles.

In September, Lyft revealed it would no longer operate dockless scooters and bikes, saying it was "exploring alternatives" for the freestanding vehicles in Denver. The news prompted speculation that Denver could shift to a system where scooters and bikes must be picked up and returned at designated docking stations, similar to Lyft's Citi Bike operation in New York City.

But those kinds of changes won't be coming anytime soon, if at all. Instead of abandoning dockless scooters and bikes, the micromobility company Bird will take over Lyft's operations in Denver, the city's Department of Transportation and Infrastructure (DOTI) announced on Friday, November 22.

Bird will assume the day-to-day operations in December after Lyft transfers its e-scooter and e-bike licenses to the company, according to the city. Riders will be able to rent the vehicles via both the Lyft and Bird apps.

“DOTI is committed to continuing the success of the Shared Bike and Scooter Program as a sustainable transportation choice,” says Amy Ford, executive director of the department. “We are excited to work with Bird to ensure a smooth transition and maintain a robust program.”

Denver residents have taken over 20.3 million e-scooter trips since the rentable vehicles hit the streets in 2018, according to the city's micromobility dashboard. That averages 9,900 trips per day.

Bird will be allowed to operate the same number of vehicles that Lyft had: 2,930 scooters and 586 e-bikes. The newest generation of Lyft e-scooters will be rebranded and continue to be used by Bird, according to the city, as will Lyft's 115 parking corrals.

All Lyft Community Pass and 5280 memberships will be transferred to Bird automatically in December.

“We’re proud to be able to support DOTI’s efforts to provide residents with a sustainable and convenient transportation alternative, which complements existing public transit infrastructure and the incredible bike lane infrastructure already in place,” says Austin Marshburn, spokesperson for Bird. “We’re looking forward to collaborating with DOTI to further enhance the program and serving Denver residents going forward.”

But continuing the status quo won't address the growing concerns surrounding micromobility devices in the city. Denver City Council has started talks about addressing illegal e-scooter use, such as parked scooters blocking sidewalks, curbs or streets, and reckless behavior like riding on sidewalks and riding while intoxicated. This comes as the city grapples with increasingly frequent scooter collisions.

Denver Health registered 1,449 patient encounters attributed to scooter injuries in 2023 — nearly four each day of the year — including duplicates for patients who visited multiple care facilities for the same injury and mobility scooter injuries. Orthopedic injury admissions at Denver Health increased by 540 percent in the two years after e-scooters were introduced in the city, compared to the two years before, according to a 2022 study.

"Safety is the top priority of DOTI, Lyft, and Bird," the city said in a FAQ sent with the Bird announcement. "All riders are proactively reminded to follow the rules of the road, and both shared micromobility operators and community partners support safe riding education and outreach throughout the year."

Bird's licensing agreement with the city will expire in May 2026, the same time Lyft's was set to end. The agreement for Denver's other e-scooter operator, Lime, also expires in May 2026.

As the city begins working on new agreements, DOTI is collecting community feedback on scooter and bike use in Denver. The survey is available through the end of November at surveymonkey.com/r/DOTIscootersurvey.