Bird Scooters are the newest mode of transportation in Kansas City

Bird Scooters Migrate to KC

A new form of transportation can be found around the city.

BY DANI ROTERT CO-PHOTO EDITOR

The California-based company Bird Scooters made their battery-powered motorized scooters available in Kansas City this summer.

“We went to the Santa Monica Pier [this summer] and we were dodging people,” senior Caroline Hunter said. “There were a couple of times where I almost ran into people and there were designated no scooters zone that we definitely rode in. But it was so much fun.”

They initially placed 100 scooters at the Power and Light District, River Market, Union Station and the historic 18th and Vine Jazz District. However, the no dock format of the scooters has led to their placement in various neighborhoods and other places around the city.

In order to ride, users must first download the free Bird app onto their cell phones and connect a credit card to the account. There is a map on the app which allows users to find scooters nearby. The scooters have implanted chips to allow users to find the Birds. There is also a QR code scanner on the app which is used to unlock the scooter and make it ridable.

Each scooter costs $1 to unlock and then automatically docks 15 cents every minute, making it cheaper and more accessible than other transportation apps.

The traditional shadow folders are being revamped this year with new items inside and shadows will also receive newly designed T-shirts and scrunchies to take home after their visit.

Prospective students will receive a folder

After a day of usage, the company hired people to charge the battery of the bird at night for anywhere from $5 and $20. The next morning, the full-battery scooters are left at various drop points around the city called nests. At the nests, the scooters will be picked up and used throughout the day by riders.

“I was driving in the Westport and this [person] drives straight in front of us,” senior Kelsey Wilcoxson said. “I know they are on a scooter, but there are cars and the road is for cars.”

There has been some controversy with the company over concerns of safety of pedestrians and riders. There are no requirements for helmets with the scooters, but the rider must be at least 18 years old in order to operate the scooter.

However, this can be bypassed as long as the person paying is older than 18. Cities like San Francisco and Denver have placed bans on the scooters from riding on their streets.

The Country Club Plaza has also placed a ban on the scooters and the entire area is lit up red on the app map which means it’s a 'no fly zone.'

Even though there has been controversy surrounding the scooters, Birds are not leaving the area anytime soon. The city reached a deal with the company in August to place up to 500 scooters across the Kansas City area in the upcoming year.

With this deal, city officials have already promised Bird that they can place 250 more

(Photo by Dani Rotert)

New Admissions Team Creates New Shadow Experience

Prospective students will receive a new folder and other items during their visit.

BY CECILIA MOHÁCSI PRINT CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

scooters immediately. decorated by their host filled with materials to stay occupied during the day. A new shadow magazine was created with the help of Social Media Coordinator Meg Cowan and includes facts about Sion, a letter from the principal and a 'notes' page as well as coloring pages and word searches.

“This year we’re focusing on what makes us different here in Kansas City,” High School Admissions Director Katie Glatz said.

This year shadows only shadow student ambassadors instead of freshmen.

Shadows will get a Sion scrunchie along with their T-shirts inside their lululemon look alike gift bags. Each folder has the latest issue of Le Journal for shadows to read. The goal of this T-shirt design is to reflect on what makes Sion different: academics, student life, traditions and global interaction, according to Admissions Director Katie Glatz.

This “welcome to Sion” book was designed by the admissions team. It includes coloring, word search and fun fact pages.

New Sion notebooks are featured for note taking, journaling or doodling during class. Every shadow receives colored pencils for their notebook and the pages in the activity book.