New Microtransit Program Coming To Birmingham
District 5 Councilor Darrell O’Quinn welcomed Birmingham residents to “the new era of shared micromobility” Tuesday after the council approved deals with two bike- and scooter-sharing companies.
The council unanimously approved deals with Gotcha Mobility and VeoRide that will be effective through next June and subject to renewal after that. The program will be similar to the Zyp bikeshare program, which was discontinued in December, O’Quinn said, but will include electric scooters as well as electric bikes and will serve a “much larger” service area.
Both companies will pay the city a permit application fee of $500, annual fees of $20 per device and $100 per rack or corral, a performance bond of $100 per device, and $500 for any subsequent permit renewal requests.
Gotcha Mobility also plans to relocate their national equipment distribution center to Birmingham, O’Quinn said. “Not only is this a win for Birmingham in terms of bringing new mobility options to the city, but it is also a win in bringing an employer to the city,” he said.
Both vendors will be required to house their devices in “corrals” throughout the city, which O’Quinn described as “designated spaces where devices will be set up for consumers to go and rent them.” The companies will incentivize customers to return rented devices to those corrals.
Gotcha previously launched a similar bikeshare programs at both Auburn University and the University of Alabama; it also has an electric scooter program in Mobile. VeoRide is currently in 50 cities around the country, including Atlanta and Knoxville, Tennessee.
Experts warn Congress cuts to addiction funding will mean more overdose deaths
A broad coalition of addiction experts wants Congress to maintain healthcare funding for the nation's response to fentanyl and other street drugs.
Chiefs superfan ‘ChiefsAholic’ sentenced to 32 years in Oklahoma prison
A Kansas City Chiefs superfan known as "ChiefsAholic" was sentenced Monday in an Oklahoma courtroom to serve 32 years in state prison for robbing a Tulsa-area bank.
Judge refuses to block IRS from sharing tax data to identify people illegally in U.S.
The decision comes after the acting IRS commissioner resigned over a deal allowing ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification.
Michael Jordan joins NBC as the network revives its NBA coverage
It has been over 20 years since NBC had rights to broadcast NBA games. Its last run was during the 90s, which coincided with Michael Jordan's reign over basketball.
Museum opens in Czech Republic at site where Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews
The former textile factory in the town of Brněnec was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1938 and turned into a concentration camp. This weekend it welcomed the first visitors to the Museum of Survivors.
Trump tried to fire Corporation for Public Broadcasting board members. Then came DOGE
DOGE staffers tried to assign a team to the independent Corporation for Public Broadcasting after President Trump's purported firing of three board members last month.
