Saskatoon e-scooter pilot off to a rocky start
A new pilot project that just rolled out onto Saskatoon streets is off to a rocky start.
City councillors say they're getting complaints that rented e-scooters are being abandoned outside of designated areas.
Saskatoon is the first city in the province to allow e-scooters on public roads, part of a two-year pilot project.
“Bird scooters have been around in Canada for the past four years,” said Alexandra Petre, COO of Bird Canada. “We're very excited that the City of Saskatoon has decided to participate in the micro mobility pilots and right now they’re running a pilot to understand usage and demand in Saskatoon.”
Bird and Neuron are the two companies that will supply around 500 scooters around the city.
“What’s really important to this initial pilot period is really to show that this is going to be a mode of transportation that people are going to use in the city,” Isaac Ransom, corporate affairs with Neuron told CTV News. “And we're already seeing lots of rides.”
But in the first weeks, city councillors say they're getting complaints that scooters are being ditched all over town.
“I’ve got a lot of emails and phone calls about this, and a lot of photos,” said Cynthia Block, Ward 3 councillor. “I had anticipated that the e-scooter project was tightly regulated in terms of making sure that people return their units to the appropriate place.”
The e-scooters are designed to work only in designated areas, but the city says there have been some hiccups with the technology
“The first few days, the geofencing system in place wasn’t working properly, and you were able to ride on a sidewalk,” said Jay Magus, director of transportation. “You'd get to a parking mat, and you were not allowed to stop.”
Magus says the problem has now been rectified, and riders will be penalized for things like parking the scooter in the wrong location or riding on the sidewalk.
“The system is supposed to work so that you can't end your ride, so you'll be continuously charged if you leave it in the wrong spot,” he said.
But SGI says riders need to be aware of the rules of the road when using e-scooters, and that they may be liable for damages caused while riding.
“If you are in a situation where you are piloting an e-scooter and you cause damage to somebody else's property, you may be held responsible for that damage,” said SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy, who says that riders are subject to the same impaired driving laws as any other motorized conveyance.
Both companies' policy is for riders to be at least 16 years old with parental permission, or 18 to ride on your own.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.