PROVIDENCE — Bird scooters showed up in Providence last year without warning. They are set to leave nearly as abruptly.

Users were notified Friday that it would be the last day the company would offer its electric scooters for use in the city.

“Providence, we had a good ride,” said a notification sent out through the Bird app. “Thank you for believing in our vision of a world with fewer cars and cleaner air. We’re working to see you again soon.”

But the end of Bird's service doesn't mean the end of scooters in Providence. Just the opposite. There will be even more scooters in the city as a pilot program governing scooter-sharing companies enters its second year.

The city has renewed a permit for Lime, which has been operating in Providence since last year and will be allowed to have 250 scooters on the streets, as well as awarding new permits to Spin and Veoride, for 175 scooters each.

The three companies were chosen through an application process "that ensures only those scooter-sharing companies determined to best align with our vision for mobility operate in the city over the next year," Emily Crowell, spokeswoman for Mayor Jorge Elorza, said in an email. Bird was not awarded a permit through the process.

Applications for the program were required to be submitted by Aug. 16. The companies were notified if they were awarded permits by Aug. 30, the day before the end of the first year of the program. The new program year, with new rules in effect, starts Monday, according to the city's website. The companies will pay the city $150 per scooter for the year.

"Bird is so grateful to our Providence community for supporting shared e-scooters and embracing an environmentally friendly alternative to short car trips," a spokesperson for the company said in an email when asked to comment. "We thank Providence riders and would welcome the opportunity to provide our service again in the future.”

Bird, based in Santa Monica, California, arrived in Providence in July 2018, when it dropped off dozens of scooters in the city without giving notice. The scooters were removed soon afterward, then reappeared after the company reached a deal with the City of Providence, under which the company agreed to pay the city $38,700 for a year-long permit, plus a $7,500 endowment to cover any expenses the city might incur as a result of the scooters.

The announcement by Bird came less than a month after Uber-owned JUMP bikes decided to temporarily leave Providence after a number of reports of their misuse.

"Providence is committed to providing residents and visitors with convenient and equitable intermodal transportation options," Crowell said.