Bird Scooters could be coming to Grand Forks, UND soon

Photo by: University of North Dakota
Photo by: University of North Dakota

(Grand Forks, ND) -- It could just be a matter of time before a new way to get around the University of North Dakota is made available to everyone on campus.

Bird Scooters may be on the way for students, staff and others at UND this Fall.

“UND Student Government is incredibly excited about the launch of Bird scooters on campus,” said Faith Wahl, UND’s student body president. “We recognize that these devices provide an opportunity for multimodal transportation for students and have the potential to connect students with the greater Grand Forks community."

So how would this work? Once the Birds are available, users will first have to download Bird’s mobile-phone app. The app shows available scooters and their locations. Scanning the QR code on the scooter will finalize the rental, and travel cost will be deducted from the rider’s credit or debit card account.

“Student leaders have been talking about bringing scooters to Grand Forks and UND since 2018, so it is exciting that the scooters will soon arrive,” said Associate Vice President of Student Affairs Cassie Gerhardt. "I hope that the scooters are a useful mode of transportation for our students, and that the scooters make it easier for students to explore more parts of the Grand Forks community.”

Rides will cost $1 to start up and 39 cents per minute afterward, so there will be no University funding involved. Riders are instructed to stay off of sidewalks and use bike lanes when available or ride along the side of the road, and are advised to wear a helmet.

When winter weather arrives, Bird will collect its scooters for “hibernation.” The scooters then will be redeployed in the spring.

Pending the approval of the City of Grand Forks permit, riders will be able to operate the scooters only within the University limits. But, Bird is in the process of finalizing a fuller agreement with Grand Forks, so the scooters likely will be operable off-campus starting sometime in September if approved by the city.