Montreal can offer a second chance for self-service scooters

Although no self-service scooters will be running in Montreal and Langue this summer, both cities plan to use them in their region from 2023, even if the first attempt in Quebec City fails in 2019.

Valérie Plante’s management evaluates “possible scenarios for 2023” and confirms by email home work Hugo Borgoin, city communications officer. He added that over the past few months, Montreal has “consulted with various electric scooter operators” and “decisions on the selected model will be announced in the coming months”.

In 2019, Lime used 200 scooters in Montreal. Claiming the plan had failed, management put an end to it in the winter of 2020. The reason given was that only 20% of scooters were parked in areas reserved for this purpose. Police have imposed 333 bansDriver AlertsIncluding 324 people not wearing helmets.

“The Montreal scooter does not want to become a police force,” said City Manager Eric Allen Caldwell, the project manager. If we want a working order, it is the responsibility of the operators to ensure that the deployment is done in a clear and orderly manner. ⁇

Discussions in Langu

Montreal is not the only city in its area to consider using scooter services. In recent months, Languel has also been in discussions with companies including American Bird and Lime and Australian Neuron based in Canada.

As in the metropolis, no service is planned this summer, says Louis-Philippe Provost, special adviser to the new mayor, Catherine Bourne, in Langue. The deadline was too short, he says: “You have to comply with a municipal law and then submit the request to the Ministry of Transport, which will take some time. And make agreements with the relevant companies.”

In a brief email sent to home work, The neuron representative confirms his interest, however, without elaborating on the content of the discussion: “We rely on the city of Montreal and the city of Langue for future micromobility projects in their region. ⁇

Founded in five countries and located in four Canadian municipalities since last year, the Australian company has registered two representatives in the Quebec Lobbyists Register to seek accreditation from two cities for setting up and operating its electric scooter service.

Lime and bird have taken similar steps. In the case of Bird, a major U.S. company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, its representations for Montreal are about changing the regulation that regulates unregistered self-service vehicles without anchoring.

Behind the metropolis

In order not to repeat the Montreal experience of 2019, several factors need to be considered. “Should there be anchors? Since there is no zero cost, how much does all this cost the city? Is it mandatory to wear a helmet? M. Bravost said.

If Longueuil goes ahead, it will be conditional on Montreal’s decision, he adds. “It simply came to our notice then. The Jack-Cartier Bridge connects our two urban areas. Compared to the Bixi, 50% of our trips are towards Montreal. We cannot progress if they do not climb. Services are integrated. ⁇

Longueuil will support a model based on competition, which is different from the Montreal program in 2019, where many operators will offer their services. In this sense, this approach is similar to Ottawa’s approach, which last year selected three companies – Bird, Lime, and Neuron – to deploy 1,200 scooters in its territory. “It’s not an exclusive deal with a company,” he said. Provost promises.

Until the appearance of scooters, Longueuil will depend on the growth of the Bixi network. “It simply came to our notice then. At home, unlike the Montreal, there are no electric bikes yet, which is planned. ⁇

Both cities must, above all, obtain the approval of the Quebec Ministry of Transport, whose pilot project for self-service scooters expires in 2023. “It remains to be seen whether this period should not be extended,” he said.

The government’s pilot program establishes the authorized age to rent one of these vehicles and public roads on credit. “There is still work to be done before all of this can be approved,” says the mayor’s special adviser in Langue.

Watch the video