JANESVILLE — Bird Global, which operates the app rental electric scooters seen in recent years throughout Janesville, announced Wednesday it has filed for bankruptcy protection in an attempt to stabilize its finances.
Bird has lined up $25 million in financing from MidCap Financial, a division of Apollo Global Management, as it tries to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Florida.
Bird says it will operate as usual during this process, maintaining the same service for its riders and upholding its commitments to partner cities, fleet managers, and employees, the company said in a statement.
Scooters have been available for the past two summers in Janesville, primarily downtown.
Some downtown business operators complained last year that riders were revving up the scooters late at night, and purposely leaving tire burnouts that were marring newly-stamped city sidewalks and walkways along West Milwaukee and River Streets in the riverfront area, according to news reports.
It’s unclear how bankrupcy proceedings will affect the company’s presence in Janesville going forward.