Give your feedback on electric scooters in Calgary

By now, you’ve probably noticed the black and lime green scooters motoring around Calgary at all hours of the day. Kids, teens, adults and the elderly are hopping on these motorized contraptions and zipping around to explore the city, get from point A to point B and as an affordable mode of transportation. However, many people don’t know that these scooters are part of a 16-month pilot project to be later determined a permanent fixture in Calgary or not.

 

Making their first appearance this past July, Lime came out with their bright green scooters for Calgarians to rent and hop aboard anywhere in the city. Bird Canada soon followed with their sleek black scooters and the two companies have been competing ever since. The scooters however, have been a major hit citywide and both companies seem to be flourishing. With 1,500 scooters in operation, over 1.13 million kilometres travelled have been recorded so far, and the number just keeps on climbing. Average trip lengths fall around 1.2 kilometres and the median trip duration lasts for ten minutes. Many people seem to be using the scooters to finish off the last part of their trip, quickly zipping around downtown or simply for recreation.

 

Currently, over 142,000 Calgarians have logged in and used these scooters at least one time – that’s nearly 10 per cent of our population! With 550,000 unique scooter trips, these devices have quickly become a popular form of transportation. With the winter months coming near, we will see the scooters disappear in November and reappear on March 16 of next year, weather dependent.

 

The data that has been collected through these motorized scooters have been phenomenal, allowing the city and the companies to see how people are using them, what areas they are used in most frequently and how often they’re being ridden. However, these numbers don’t show us the whole picture. The City of Calgary has created an online survey for Calgary residents to fill out, whether you have ridden on the scooters or not. They want to know what you, the people who live here, think of this addition. How has your experience been with them? Are they safe on the pathways? Do you want to see them as a permanent fixture here in Calgary past the 16-month pilot project?

 

Feedback from this survey will be summarized in a report and submitted along with the data results of the project. The survey is now live until October 6, so you have plenty of time to jump on the computer and share your thoughts with the city. You will be able to see the results of this survey in late 2019 to see how the rest of the city responds to this pilot project. “Through the survey, we look forward to hearing about the experiences of those using the scooters, as well as those sharing the pathways and sidewalks with them,” says Sedor.

 

Have your opinion heard and complete the survey here.