Bird Announces Acquisition Of Scoot

Bird has announced its acquisition of electric vehicle company Scoot. Together, the companies will offer riders more vehicles equipped with the latest technology advancements for the sharing market, and provide services in more communities.

“We are thrilled to welcome Scoot to the Bird ecosystem, and look forward to working with the Scoot team as we further scale our complementary missions — to replace car trips with micro-mobility options for all,” said Travis VanderZanden, founder and CEO of Bird, in a press release. “Together, we will make a bigger impact on our riders’ daily lives, and the cities we serve.”

Following the acquisition, Scoot will continue to operate as Scoot, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bird.

“Since we launched the first electric vehicle service you [can] access with your smartphone, we have pursued our mission of Electric Vehicles for Everyone, and showed cities that shared, electric mobility is a convenient, fun and affordable way for citizens to get where they need to go,” said Michael Keating, Scoot founder and president. “With Bird, our mission remains the same, but the scale at which we will pursue it, and the vehicles we will offer, will be so much better for our riders and the cities we serve.”

Bird also made news when Apple announced last month that it was teaming up with partners — including Bird — on special tags that can trigger purchases with Apple Pay without the need for a special app. With Bird, for instance, customers must currently download the company’s app and find a nearby scooter before scanning a quick-response (QR) code. However, with the new implementation, customers can simply tap their phones and begin their trips.

“These days, finding and renting a Bird scooter isn’t that difficult, which is why both Bird and Apple see this as an opportunity to make the experience near frictionless for iPhone users,” according to the report.