Some IU students and staff said they have noticed fewer scooters around campus this year. But Bloomington transportation officials said the number of scooters and e-bikes in the city has stayed about the same since last fall.
Jeffrey Jackson, Bloomington’s transportation demand manager, said Bird is the city’s only operator since Lime left in 2024.
“For the last year, with Bird being the only operator that is licensed to provide e-bikes and e-scooters in Bloomington, there’s been 500 … prior to that, Lime had 400 … so there hasn’t been an overall reduction,” Jackson said.
Although that’s true year-to-year, the overall fleet is smaller than when both Bird and Lime operated in the city at the same time — a peak of around 900 scooters and e-bikes on Bloomington streets.
Jackson said scooters may also be less visible on IU’s campus because the university does not allow Bird to deploy them there. Riders can bring scooters onto campus but must park them at a bike rack or risk fines and impoundment.
“IU does not allow Bird to deploy e-scooters or e-bikes on campus,” Jackson said. “You can ride one to campus, but you’re required to park it at a bike rack. If you don’t, you’re subject to a fine, and IU will impound the scooter.”
Jackson said resident complaints about scooters cluttering sidewalks have dropped since Lime left.
“We were getting a lot of complaints from city residents about there being too many … this is the first time I’ve had anyone contact me suggesting there may not be enough,” he said.
The city expects to renew Bird’s license in the next month. Jackson said Bloomington is also considering changes to city ordinance that would allow a more competitive bidding process with longer-term contracts for operators.
