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Bird, one of the e-scooter brands found throughout Baltimore over the past year, is no longer permitted to provide rides in the city.

The dockless vehicle company was axed in the Baltimore Department of Transportation’s latest round of permits, which allow two other e-scooter brands — Spin and LINK by Superpedestrian — to continue operating through June 2024.

In a statement, Bird, a publicly traded company that also provides e-bikes and electric wheelchairs, said it was “disappointed” in the decision.

“We look forward to returning to Baltimore as soon as we are allowed,” the company said, calling the rentable vehicles “affordable and reliable transportation alternative[s]” and expressing hope the company could “continue to develop relationships with community organizations and create jobs for residents.”

City transportation department communications staff said Bird had received four citations during the 2022 to 2023 permit year and directed a reporter to a news release that says Spin and LINK “were offered permit renewals because they did not receive any citations” during the last cycle, which ended in June. “Their compliance with program regulations demonstrates true commitment to the city.”

Permitted companies are audited by the transportation department twice a month and receive a warning if they are found in violation of any regulations. After two warnings, the company receives a citation, which they can appeal, a DOT spokesperson said.

Lime, a Bird competitor, lost its Baltimore permit last cycle and said in a statement that the company “would love the opportunity to return to Baltimore” following Bird’s departure. The e-scooter and e-bike company said it “accounted for more trips than any other operator” during its time in Baltimore.

The city is able to grant up to three dockless vehicle permits for every cycle. The transportation department’s new rules and regulations adopted this year require each permit-holder to keep a fleet of at least 150 vehicles but imposes a maximum of 1,000 devices.

Spin and LINK, now the only two providers in the city, both held permits alongside Bird during the last cycle, as well as with Lime in the 2021 to 2022 set. Spin and LINK offer e-scooters, with the latter also providing adaptive vehicles for people with mobility issues.

Bird has maintained an exclusive fleet in Annapolis since last year, and the company has started to expand its presence in Anne Arundel County. The Miami-based firm first came to Baltimore in 2018 as the city’s bike-sharing program shut down, prompting officials to develop regulations for e-scooters. Bird lost out in the city’s first round of permits in 2019.