Hamilton rolls out e

Feb 26, 2024

The City of Hamilton rolled out its new electric scooter (e-scooter) pilot program on Monday, which it says will complement the city's existing bike share program.

In January, 2020 the province of Ontario announced a five-year pilot program permitting e-scooters to operate in municipalities that opt in to the program.

Hamilton city council approved two bylaws in December that same year. One opted Hamilton into the pilot program, while the other regulates the use of personal and commercial e-scooters within the city.

The city's director of the Office of Climate Change Initiatives, Lynda Lukasik, was at Monday's launch, alongside several city councillors.

She applauded the addition of another mode of "sustainable transportation" for the city, calling the e-scooters "a wonderful 'micro mobility' option that's great for shorter trips in urban areas."

The city is partnering with Bird Canada for the pilot program.

At Monday's launch, held at city hall, CEO of Bird Canada Stewart Lyons said his hope for the program is three-fold.

"I really hope they have a sustainable program, I hope that we engage with the community [and] the community adopts the program, and I hope they reduce a lot of vehicle traffic — I hope a lot of people use scooters instead or rideshare or their own car," Lyons told CBC Hamilton.

Hamilton joins other cities in Canada that have already launched pilot programs, from Richmond, B.C. to Ottawa. Some other cities have chosen not to support a program — Toronto, for instance, opted out of the Ontario pilot, citing "safety and accessibility" concerns.

In Hamilton, up to 450 e-scooters will be available to rent in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 13.

On Monday, they could be seen locked up in the parking rings also used for bicycles along downtown streets. A "bird ride" pass costs $24.92, allowing for up to 90 minutes of riding, within 24 hours. A week pass cost $62.49, allowing unlimited rides up to 630 minutes per pass, or about 90 minutes per day, for seven days.

Lyons said people can download the Bird Canada app on their smart phones and use it to find the locations of the e-scooters, which he said are "all over downtown and by the lake."

Once you locate an e-scooter you will need to scan its QR code, which is located at the top of the scooter. Before you ride you must also agree to the terms.

Lyons said the app will also provide "rules that will explain to you as a new rider in Hamilton … how to ride and where to ride and how to end a ride. And you just agree to all that and away you go."

There's also riding guidelines printed on the e-scooters, including:

To support their safe use, e-scooters also:

Web Writer / Editor

Desmond joined CBC News in October 2017. He previously worked with The Associated Press, Caribbean Media Corporation and Inter Press Service. You can reach him at: [email protected].

With files from Aicha Smith-Belghaba