Backed with more than $100 million in venture capital, Bird launched in its hometown of Santa Monica last September and has since flooded the streets of cities such as San Francisco, San Diego and Nashville with rechargeable scooters capable of traveling up to 15 miles an hour. Competitors LimeBike and Spin have followed similarly, charging customers a dollar to unlock the scooters and about 15 cents a minute. There are no formal parking spots — riders find the nearest scooter via a mobile app, and are encouraged to leave them on the sidewalk when they're done.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 23, 2018 11:01 UTC