Ottawa approves expanded e-scooter program with more scooters going beyond its core

Ottawa residents will see up to 1,500 shared electric scooters rolling on the city’s streets starting in the spring.

At Wednesday’s city council meeting, councillors approved piloting the shared e-scooters once more, from as early as April through November, with at least double the number of scooters as last year, deployed in a larger central area.

Up to 300 e-scooters can also be used for a satellite pilot in a suburban neighbourhood. Qualified operators can partner with a ward councillor, a business improvement area or a business association outside the Greenbelt to recommend a location.

Last year’s e-scooter pilot saw 72,720 unique rider take on more than 238,000 trips.

To curb concerns about improper parking and users riding on sidewalks, operators will have to provide a way to report improperly parked e-scooters in their app, monitoring and moving them rapidly as needed and warning or removing riders for parking violations.

There will also be some designated parking areas, with operators providing incentives to park in them.