Bird Scooters Expands Operations to Topeka, KS, 2021

After adopting an e-scooter ordinance in 2019, Topeka now has 300 Bird scooters available throughout the city as of April 1. These e-scooters are permitted through an 18-month pilot program that ends on October 2, 2022. Customers can borrow a Bird scooter through a smartphone application and can opt to pay through a monthly subscription or by individual ride, which has a minimum fee of $3.50 plus a 15 cent municipal tax. Through the remainder of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers and emergency personnel can use the Bird scooters at no cost.

With an AllTransit™ of 3.4/10, Topeka can use this e-scooter pilot to further advance multimodal transportation options across the city. While scooters can be an effective first-last-mile connection on peoples’ transportation journeys, it will be important to observe what next steps Topeka takes beyond this pilot, with e-scooters or other shared mobility options.

Last updated April 2, 2021