Electric scooters are back for another summer in Ottawa. This is what you need to know

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Electric scooters have returned to the streets of Ottawa for the third year in a row, though changes have been made as part of efforts to improve safety and accessibility.

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Ottawa residents can now pick up electric scooters downtown from two providers: Bird Canada and Neuron Mobility. Lime Canada scooters will not be available this summer.

From now until November 15 (weather permitting), 900 e-scooters will be available for riders. The scooters will first be deployed in a few shortlisted neighborhoods in the city center, with the operational area expanding as the months go by. Last year, 1,200 e-scooters were available for passengers.

The city says this year’s focus is to deter bicyclists from riding on sidewalks and parking improperly to create a safer environment for all Ottawa residents.

Specifically, this includes the use of the latest GPS and artificial intelligence (AI) technology to enable more precise location of individual e-scooters, as well as “educational programs, increased number of provider personnel patrolling, monitoring and proactively communicating with passengers, and the issuance of fines and/or the suspension of users”, says the city.

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Additionally, the city says e-scooter provider apps will now only allow riders to end their rides in “physically designated parking areas or virtually designated approved areas in the curb-adjacent furniture zones” installed by the city. : sidewalks at least two meters wide.

If an e-scooter is improperly parked, the city advises that the passenger will continue to be charged a fee until it is properly parked or retrieved by the supplier. Bird and Neuron have also implemented fines and will remove users from their apps who do not respect local regulations, including riding on sidewalks and parking improperly.

The e-scooter pilot has not been without its critics since its launch in 2020.

While people have flocked to the devices for recreation and utility, they have also emerged as a potential hazard, whether it’s dodging an oncoming cyclist or confronting an abandoned scooter on a sidewalk or driveway. This has been especially problematic for people with mobility problems, including wheelchair users.

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When the transportation committee and council voted earlier this year to extend Ottawa’s e-scooter pilot until 2022, they made it clear that scooter providers and their passengers needed to be on a shorter leash. They reduced the size of the fleet, opted to allow only two companies to participate, and issued new requirements for electric scooter operators to prevent inappropriate and unsafe use and to ensure scooters were only abandoned in permitted locations. The season release date was also pushed back from spring to early July.

The city also says it will be easier to report “improperly parked” e-scooters this year. Residents can report inappropriate parking and use of e-scooters through a new electronic form onottawa.ca or by calling 3-1-1. When such a report is received, the city says providers will have 15 minutes to pick up an improperly parked e-scooter. “Dedicated charter officers will also monitor parking and relocate or impound e-scooters as needed.”

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Additionally, to alert pedestrians and residents of approaching e-scooters, the devices will now emit a continuous sound when in operation. Adjustments to the sound will be made during the summer months with the help of stakeholders and vendors, the city says.

“Ottawa’s requirement for sound emissions appears to be a first in North America, ahead of any global standard,” said Jeff McEwan, the city’s acting director of transportation planning, real estate and economic development.

“To help passengers understand the role of sound emissions, education is also a mandatory requirement in the Agreement.”

Riders can unlock an e-scooter through the provider’s app from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. throughout the summer.