Electronic scooter company Bird released a flock of 500 e-scooters around Fort Collins and Colorado State University last week as part of the company’s contract for the City’s one-year e-scooter pilot program. 

The e-scooters have been popular among students since the launch, with some students expressing their excitement.

“I think they’re super awesome,” said Lena Bloszies, third-year human development and family studies major at CSU.

The e-scooters, which can be driven off campus, offer a practical commute to class and are a “fun new thing” to do during free time, said Blozsies, who has driven e-scooters around her neighborhood and even to City Park.

Mitchell Panzarella, a first-year communications major at CSU, said he likes how convenient and cheap the e-scooters are, as well not having to walk as much now. 

“The Bird is relatively easy to ride,” said Shannon Kindelspire, third-year psychology major at CSU. “But it gets a little tricky when you are in tighter spaces.” 

Belle Girard, a third-year HDFS major at CSU, said she noticed that pedestrian traffic has lessened since the e-scooters have launched. 

“It gives (students) a more efficient form of transportation,” Girard said. 

The e-scooters reach speeds of up to 15 mph and reduce to 8 mph in slow zones.

To ride an e-scooter, users need to download the Bird app on their smartphones and register for an account. Users can find available scooters on the app.

Each e-scooter has a QR code that can be scanned in order to start a ride, and the e-scooters cost $1 to unlock, and users are charged between 25-30 cents per minute plus tax. Students can receive a 50 cent discount their first ride when they register on the app with a colostate.edu email address. 

Bird has a series of rules and regulations that e-scooter riders must follow concerning riding, dismount and slow zones, parking, availability and moving scooters around. 

Kate Trulson can be reached at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @KateTrulson.