You'll soon see those electric scooters back on the streets of Minneapolis, but one familiar company will not be returning.
That company is Bird.
The scooter company was one of two that made a splash on the streets of the Twin Cities last year.
This year, Minneapolis has declined to allow Bird to participate in an extension of the pilot program that runs through March 31, 2020.
Also not receiving licenses after submitting an application were Gotcha and Razor.
"It was clearly stated that we would be moving forward with between two and four vendors," said Josh Johnson of the Minneapolis public works department.
"We felt that the four vendors were more closely aligned with the city goals for the pilot," said Johnson, listing the goals for the pilot as climate, safety, equity, propserity, mobility, and active partnerships.
In a statement, Bird officials say they are concerned with the direction of Minneapolis’ plans for e-scooters, and are working to get a thorough understanding of how city officials came to the result that they did.
The other company that brought foot scooters to Minneapolis in 2018 was Lime.
Their trademark green scooters will be back on the streets this year along with Lyft, as in the ride-sharing compan; JUMP, which is owned by Uber; and Spin, owned by the Ford Motor Company.
According to the extended program, 2,000 scooters will operate in Minnesota's largest city.
"We're intending to use this as a way to inform what a permanent program could look like," said Johnson.
Last year, the scooter pilot program in Minneapolis covered four months for two vendors.
Some of the scooters will be required to be placed in lower income areas in north, northeast and south Minneapolis.
St. Paul has not yet announced its scooter program for 2019, but the city is accepting applications.