After two years in Galesburg, Bird’s flock of electric scooters have flown the nest.
A WGIL listener/reader recently asked: What happened to the scooters that were seen around Galesburg the last few years?
For the answer, we turned to Galesburg City Clerk Kelli Bennewitz, who said Bird Scooters gave notice last fall it was pulling its operation from Galesburg.
Bennewitz said:
Bird scooters operated in Galesburg in 2021 and 2022. They terminated operations in Galesburg on November 27, 2022. When terminating services in Galesburg, Bird stated the company was reviewing its city portfolio with the goal of building a self-sustainable portfolio of cities. As the overall portfolio was reduced in this region, they also terminated services in Galesburg, indicating that they determined it was not economically feasible to operate in a city without sufficient proximity to other cities operated by Bird.
The City of Galesburg continues to allow for the operation of licensed electric scooter companies, per Chapter 112.60 of the Galesburg Municipal Code. If an eclectic scooter company is interested in operating in Galesburg in the future, the procedure for them to do so remains available.
Do you have a question about something happening around Galesburg? Email Jay Redfern at jayr@wgil.com.
