Bird adds a 'Warm Up Mode' for gentler acceleration
It's meant to put new riders at ease.
Scooter safety will still be a problem when it’s clear to start travelling again, and Bird thinks it can help assuage newcomers to its sharing service when people return to the streets. It’s piloting a Warm Up Mode feature that accelerates the e-scooter more gently than usual — you won’t risk flying off because you’re unused to that quick-off-the-line performance. You can learn to ride more at your own pace.
The test will be available in “select cities” around the US and Europe in the weeks ahead. Bird hasn’t said what happens after that, but any further rollouts will clearly be dependent on how the pandemic develops.
Bird has pitched Warm Up Mode as an aid to rookies “sensitive to social distancing guidelines” as well as those rusty from weeks staying inside. However, this is really more of a basic safety precaution. The threat of collisions and injuries has been real in the scooter sharing world for a while, and this could help people no matter what the health situation might be.
