BIRD'S THE WORD. The Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) will begin discussions around Bird's potential expansion in Eau Claire at its Aug. 18 meeting, where the topic will be introduced. (Photo via Wirestock)

If you frequent the downtown Eau Claire area, you’ve surely seen folks zipping around on Bird scooters. Those rentable e-scooters first popped up near the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (fitting, given Bird founder and current Polymarket exec Travis VanderZanden is a Blugold alum) campus in September 2024 before expanding to cover most of downtown. 

Soon, Bird scooters could see their geo-fenced areas of use expand once again, officially bringing them outside the downtown limits.

At the City of Eau Claire Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) meeting at 5:30pm on Tuesday, Aug. 18, discussion will include Bird Scooters’ potential expansion.

“This current Bird Scooter expansion is simply an ask right now by the company’s owner, and I'm starting with BPAC to get their opinion on it,” Deputy City Engineer Al Rinka said.

From Jan. 1-June 1, 2026, Eau Claire users have traveled over 18,000 miles via Bird scooter. So far, nearly 3,300 unique users have used them.

Currently, Bird usage – restricted via geo-fencing – is bound by Birch Street and Vine Street to the north, Hastings Way to the east, Putnam Park to the south and Carson Park to the west. Its coverage is roughly five square miles total.

Bird’s expansion ask would double that coverage area, up to roughly 11 square miles total. Its new boundaries would keep a similar Birch Street and Vine Street cut-off to the north but expand to cross Business Hwy 53 to the east; south to West Hamilton Avenue; west along North Clairemont Avenue.

The transparent blue overlay represents the current Bird scooter usage area, spanning about five square miles of downtown Eau Claire. The dark blue outline is the requested coverage expansion, which would allow scooter use outside downtown. (Map via BPAC agenda)

The City does not gain revenue based on Bird scooter usage, Rinka noted, but the company does pay  an annual permit fee of $584.

In 2025, Eau Claire’s Bird scooters racked up over 58,000 miles in total trips, per a spreadsheet Rinka shared with Volume One. On average, each scooter trip averaged about 14 minutes and just over 1.7 miles traveled, with nearly 6,800 unique users.

From Jan. 1-June 1, 2026, Eau Claire users have traveled over 18,000 miles via Bird scooter. So far, nearly 3,300 unique users have used them.

BPAC will not have final say on the Bird scooter expansion request, but will be the starting point for that conversation. 

Keep up with Volume One for future updates. Find the City of Eau Claire BPAC online or attend its monthly public meetings for more updates and information.