VENICE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Bird, the leader in last-mile electric mobility, today announced the first steps in taking its mission to reduce car trips, traffic, and carbon emissions global. The company today is launching pilot programs for its fleet of dock-free electric scooters in Paris and Tel Aviv. Leading this effort is Patrick Studener, Bird's Head of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA), and a veteran of bringing innovative transportation solutions to international markets.

"We believe Bird can be a key part of Paris' ambitious efforts to cut the number of cars clogging its historic streets and polluting its air," said Studener. "In Tel Aviv, thousands of people have already embraced e-scooters as a way to get to work, school, or to the beach without sitting in traffic. By launching the ridesharing model there, Bird can make it more convenient for Tel Avivians to get a ride and help accelerate the adoption of these environmentally-friendly vehicles."

Bird is the first e-scooter ridesharing company in the world. Since the company's debut in September 2017, Birds have landed in more than 30 cities across the U.S., bringing residents an affordable, convenient, and environmentally-friendly way to get around their city. Starting today, Bird will begin a pilot program in Paris, making e-scooters available in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd arrondissements. In the coming weeks, a pilot program will begin in Tel Aviv, with a pilot through Tel Aviv University.

"Having expanded innovative transportation options globally, I learned that when it comes to getting from point A to point B, there is more that unites us than divides us — and too often, that's wanting an option besides sitting in a car in traffic," said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird. "We are honored to be able to offer our solution to Paris, Tel Aviv, and — down the road — to more cities as we work toward our goal of getting cars off of the road and eliminating greenhouse gas emissions."

Bird has an all-star team leading its international expansion. Patrick Studener, an Austrian, who was most recently the Chief Operating Officer of Wolt, the Finnish on-demand food delivery service, ran expansion in EMEA for Uber and also was an international growth product manager there. He holds degrees in economics and business administration from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Joining in France is Kenneth Schlenker, who was previously founder and CEO of online art marketplace ArtList (acq. by artnet) and a product marketing manager for Google's YouTube and Adwords, receiving his master's degree in finance and strategy from Sciences Po Paris. Leading Bird in Israel is Yaniv Rivlin, who most recently was a Senior Program Officer at the Schusterman Family Foundation and received his master's degree in public policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University.

In Paris and Tel Aviv, Bird will commit to collecting all of its vehicles each night for charging and necessary maintenance and practicing responsible growth by only adding more vehicles when each Bird averages three or more rides per day.

Riders interested in finding a Bird near them can download the app and sign up at www.bird.co.

About Bird
Bird is a last-mile electric vehicle sharing company dedicated to bringing affordable, environmentally friendly transportation solutions to communities across the world. It provides a fleet of shared electric scooters that can be accessed via smartphone. Birds give people looking to take a short journey across town or down that "last-mile" from the subway or bus to their destination a way to do so that does not pollute the air or add to traffic. Bird works closely with the cities in which it operates so that Bird is a reliable and affordable transportation option for people who live and work there. Founded in 2017 by transportation pioneer Travis VanderZanden, Bird is headquartered in Venice, Calif., and is rapidly expanding across the country. Follow Bird on Instagram (www.instagram.com/bird), on Twitter at @BirdRide, and find more information at www.bird.co.

SOURCE Bird

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http://www.bird.co