Bird e-scooters Return to Pittsfield

08:22AM / Tuesday, April 11, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield and Bird have teamed up again to bring shared e-scooters back to the city.

"After a successful first launch of e-scooters in Pittsfield, I am excited to welcome back Bird for 2023. Pittsfield continues to lead the way as a municipality in providing alternative forms of transportation to residents and visitors," said Mayor Linda Tyer.

Bird launched a pilot program with Pittsfield last spring, and Residents of and visitors to Pittsfield completed over 25,000 rides on Bird Scooters in 2022 enjoying an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to cars that allowed residents to get around efficiently and encouraged visitors to explore the city.

Along with transit benefits, Bird Scooters have also been shown to increase the amount of spending in a city and spurred significant foot traffic and economic activity for Pittsfield area businesses, accordimg to a press release.

"It is essential that we prioritize sustainable transportation solutions in our city. By welcoming

Bird back to Pittsfield, we are actively promoting a cleaner and greener city. When we choose to ride a scooter instead of using a personal vehicle for short trips, we reduce our carbon footprint and contribute to a more environmentally friendly community," said Ricardo Morales, Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities for the City of Pittsfield.

According to a press release, Bird is a micro-mobility company that aims to make cities more livable by reducing car trips, traffic congestion and carbon emissions, all of which contribute to over a quarter of

greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

The company's scooters provide a safe, eco-friendly way to get around, shop local and offer residents without cars or with limited access to public transit a reliable, convenient transportation option.

"We applaud the city of Pittsfield for leading the Commonwealth in welcoming convenient, sustainable and affordable transportation options to residents and visitors," said Lauren Scribi, Senior Manager of Government Partnerships at Bird. "We look forward to continuing our collaboration with city leaders to provide our industry-leading e-scooters during the 2023 season."

Bird offers number of features including its Community Pricing Program, where low-income riders, veterans, and senior citizens receive a 50 percent discount as well as select local nonprofits and community organizations.

Those who qualify can sign up by downloading the Bird app, creating an account, and emailing proof of eligibility to access@bird.co.

The City of Pittsfield shares the following reminders when riding e-scooters:

• only one person per scooter

• utilize the designated bike lanes where available

• no riding on the sidewalks

• follow the rules of the road

• wear a helmet

• park the scooter adequately

Tags: scooter,

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DA Provides Updates on 4 Pittsfield Summer Shootings

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:11PM / Thursday, November 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— District Attorney Timothy Shugrue delivered updates on a string of gun violence incidents over the summer and said even one is too much.

"This summer was extremely upsetting to people living in Pittsfield and our entire Berkshire community. While we live in a safe community, it is always disheartening to hear these gunshots. In the past four years, there has been a remarkable reduction in gun violence," he said during a press conference at the Berkshire DA's office on Thursday.

"Since January 2023, there has been a 62 percent reduction of validated shootings in the City of Pittsfield."

There were four separate incidents involving gunfire in Pittsfield this past summer. Some suspects were charged, and some are still being sought by police.

On June 18, a person died after being shot in the area of Tyler Street and Pleasure Avenue, and another person was injured. Following an extensive investigation, the Pittsfield Police Department applied for and was granted an arrest warrant for Terry Martizna, wanted for murder.

Shugrue reported that his office is working with various authorities, including federal, to secure Martizna's return to the Berkshires. He said he was involved the whole weekend of the incident after being "immediately" contacted by the PPD.

"My office was on notice, and we continued to work with them throughout the night. I can tell you that they worked all night long; they never stopped working. I was really pleased with the amount of effort that was going into it, and by the next day, we had a pretty good clue of where we were going. But the amount of surveillance that they had to go through was incredible, and it was just commendable," he added.

"The amount of support we got from the community, from the Pittsfield residents, and from the work that these officers put in all weekend long, they were able to identify certain locations where this individual was, and that continued all the way in through Monday morning. By that Saturday, I was informed that we had a suspect that we were just producing the probable cause reports, and that was all which led to the warrant coming out."

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