Last year, Skood-addle, from the parent company Bird, presented a proposal to the Traffic and Aviation Committee with an opportunity for the battery-powered scooters to make their mark in various locations in Pine Bluff, including downtown, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Southeast Arkansas College and Pine Bluff Regional Park.
Contracting with the UAPB, the scooters made their debut on campus in January of 2022 and became a hit with the on-campus community. Now that classes have come to an end and college kids are mostly gone for the summer, Bird wants to expand its services as originally proposed, but City Council members and leaders have their reservations.
During the Traffic & Aviation Committee meeting on Tuesday, Michael Ellis, account manager of Bird, met with the committee, chaired by Council Member Joni Alexander, about potentially expanding now that summer is near.
"The contract has the city limits as the bounds and to operate across the city limits," Ellis said, referring to a memorandum of understanding between Bird and the city of Pine Bluff. "We stayed around the university with the intention to expand over the summer gearing up with the busier months."
Ellis said that, with the students leaving the university for the summer, he wanted to create a sustainable way to grow the program, including offering the scooters in some of the city parks.
In an email to Bird senior account executive Mike Butler from Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation director Samuel Glover, Glover reminded Butler that he had already expressed to him his concerns about safety and usability within the parks during every instance of communication.
Glover said he wanted to keep the parks safe and clutter-free.
"I would appreciate your company's recognition to the fact that I have a responsibility to make what I deem the best decision for our parks system," said Glover in the email.
In the meeting Tuesday, Ellis said Bird would like to try expanding three blocks south and three blocks west of UAPB to test what could potentially be viable areas for ridership.
"It is pretty standard to operate across the entire city like they do in other cities for residents as a whole and not just students," he said.
Ellis said the company successfully operates in Monticello, Clarksville, Malvern and Little Rock across the city limits and would like to do the same in Pine Bluff.
"A lot of other communities in Arkansas find the benefits of conducting across the entire city so residents can take the scooter to and from," said Ellis, using, as an example, someone wanting to ride the scooter from one side of town to the other to go to restaurants.
"Being limited to the university, it's helpful to the students to get to and from their residence hall and around the campus itself, but we see the program playing a role in the broader fabric of transportation in Pine Bluff," said Ellis.
Alexander expressed concern about limited sidewalks. Ellis said the scooters are meant to flow with street traffic and not intended for sidewalk use.
That posed a greater concern for Council Member and committee member Ivan Whitfield, who said riding in the street would be difficult.
Committee member Glen Brown Jr. said he felt that letting the company at least test in other areas of town wouldn't be a bad idea.
Alexander told Ellis that before Bird considers expanding, she wants to hold a meeting with public safety, the street department and Glover with Parks and Recreation.
"We need to be intentional with this testing phase," said Alexander. "This is why it's best to meet with the committees because in one area you could be told no."