Stand-up, shared electric scooters are popping up in the world's largest cities seemingly overnight, and the inevitable is occurring: riders are getting hurt. Accidents and deaths are on the rise, and while official numbers are scant, the Associated Press estimates that at least 11 electric scooter rider deaths have occurred in the United States alone since 2018, nine of which occurred to riders on rented scooters from companies like Bird Ride ($PRIVATE:BIRD) and Lime Bike ($PRIVATE:LIMEBIKE)
As the weather heats up and more Bird and Lime scooters appear in the world's largest cities, more accidents and deaths are expected. While safety legislation lags and cities scramble to keep up with shared scooters' proliferation, job listings data indicates that both Lime and Bird have launched hiring efforts for safety and trust experts and execs.
Bird Ride
While Bird's job openings data shows an ebb and flow with a significant hiring effort in late 2018, a keyword search for jobs with the term "Safety" in their title reveals that the company opened up several headcounts for professionals with a focus on keeping an eye on the company's image and technology when it comes to keeping riders alive.
|
Title |
Location Text |
|---|---|
|
Head of Trust & Safety |
Santa Monica, California |
|
Head of Trust & Safety |
Venice, California |
|
Manager, Vehicle Safety |
Compton, California |
|
Operations Manager - Trust and Safety |
Amsterdam, Netherlands |
|
Operations Manager - Trust and Safety |
Santa Monica, California |
|
Operations Manager - Trust and Safety |
Venice, California |
|
Safety Supervisor |
Compton, California |
|
Travel Safety and Security Manager |
Santa Monica, California |
|
Travel Safety and Security Manager |
Venice, California |
|
Trust & Safety Associate |
Venice, California |
Bird's openings for safety specialists included a "Head of Trust & Safety", a "Manager, Vehicle Safety", and others, in a clear sign that the company is keeping an eye on not just its image, but also the safety of its customers.
Lime Bike
Much like Bird, Lime opened hundreds of new positions in 2018. Also like Bird, Lime Bike opened several positions for professionals focused on both safety and trust.
|
Title |
Location Text |
|---|---|
|
Global Head of Trust & Safety |
San Francisco, CA |
|
Regional Facilities/Safety Manager - East Coast |
New York, NY |
|
Regional Facility/Safety Manager - East Coast |
New York, NY |
|
Safety Officer |
San Francisco Bay Area |
|
Senior Trust & Safety Manager |
San Francisco Bay Area |
|
Trust and Safety Associate |
San Francisco, CA |
Relevant safety job openings at Lime include a "Global Head of Trust & Safety", Safety Managers, and related associates.
Lime Bike's safety-related positions — at least some of them — are still open. Lime's "Safety Officer" will design safety programs as well as take part in accident and industry investigations while employing "counter measures" on behalf of the company.
