Electric scooter rental company Bird Global files for bankruptcy

Electric scooter company Bird Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Wednesday.

The company, which bills itself as “a leader in environmentally friendly electric transportation,” announced Wednesday it was entering into a financial restructuring process aimed at positioning the company for long-term, sustainable growth.

“"We are making progress toward profitability and aim to accelerate that progress by right-sizing our capital structure through this restructuring. We remain focused on our mission to make cities more livable by using micromobility to reduce car usage, traffic, and carbon emissions,” Bird Interim CEO Michael Washinushi said in a statement.

Micromobility, which includes electric scooter rentals, is sold as a means to provide urban transportation with reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

Bird electric scooters can be rented via the company’s phone app, and then riders drop off the scooters after they finish using it. That is the same system for Bird's competitors. The app then charges them for the ride.