Pickering Launches E-Scooter Pilot, Joins Oshawa, Ajax

The City of Pickering has started a shared e-scooter pilot program. Oshawa and Ajax are also undertaking similar programs.

The program encourages a variety of ways to get about. According to a city statement, e-scooters are made for short rides and connections from the first to the last mile. The pilot program is based on what towns like Ottawa and Vancouver have done.

A private corporation owns and runs shared e-scooters, which can be rented for a price based on time or distance. You can pick them up and drop them off at certain places in the neighborhood. The corporation is in charge of charging, maintaining, and redistributing them. Bird and Pickering are working together to run the pilot.

The program puts a lot of emphasis on safety and accessibility, such as:

• There are speed limits and a minimum age of 16 for riders.
• Youth must wear helmets.
• Required gear includes lights and a bell or horn.
• Rules that encourage walkers, cyclists, drivers, and e-scooter users to be polite while they share the road.
• Fair access for everyone in every neighborhood.

Here are some quick information regarding the program:

• Works every year from April to October, as long as the weather is good.
• Service every day from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with scooters turning off at 10:45 p.m.
• You can’t ride shared e-scooters outside of the city limits, and they can only go as fast as the speed limits set by the program.
• You can call the operator’s hotline, use the in-app features, or contact the city’s customer service team to report problems after hours, scooters that are parked incorrectly, or safety concerns.
• To help with the launch, Bird will send Safe Streets Ambassadors to certain parking lots to teach riders about the initiative and give them further information.

Mayor Ashe commented, “Pickering’s Shared E-Scooter Pilot is an important step toward giving our residents more ways to get around.” “As a true pilot, we promise to listen—gather feedback, look at ridership data, and look at every part of the program, including how it was promoted and how well people followed the rules for safe and responsible use—before deciding what to do next.”

The pilot shows Pickering’s vision of a sustainable and connected city by encouraging people to walk and bike, making it easier for them to get to transit, and offering inhabitants more opportunities to get around their neighborhood.