APPLETON — Bird Global, which operates the app rental electric scooters seen in recent years throughout Appleton, 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 three summers in Appleton, primarily downtown.

It’s unclear how bankrupcy proceedings will affect the company’s presence in Appleton going forward.



Paid partnership



Paid partnership






By Dan Plutchak

Dan Plutchak, born and raised in Kaukauna, is cofounder of Kaukauna Community News.