Shared e-scooters now available on City of Ottawa streets

Bird Canada, Lime and Neuron e-scooters are rolling onto Ottawa streets.

The vehicles are available to the public for the first time this year, starting Friday, May 28, and are expected to be on road and pathways until November 30.

This year’s pilot project includes an increase in the number of shared e-scooters to 1,200, as well as an expanded central deployment area. 

The 2021 pilot also includes additional safety and accessibility features and is focused on reducing sidewalk riding and improper parking through a variety of mitigation measures deployed by the providers. 

Such innovations include:

• An automatic alert that tells providers if an e-scooter has remained tipped for a period of time so providers can check on the e-scooter.
• Different technologies to detect and prevent sidewalk riding.
• Technology that emits a constant sound, alerting pedestrians of the presence of an approaching e-scooter.
• Incentives for good parking behaviour.
• Some additional designated parking locations for e-scooters.

Shared e-scooter providers have committed to respond to misparked e-scooters within one hour. Residents can report misparked e-scooters and other concerns in the following ways:

• Call the provider directly. Each e-scooter has an English and French sticker on it with the company’s contact information. Bird Canada can be contacted at 1-866-205-2442, Lime can be contacted at 1-888-546-3345, and Neuron can be contacted at 1-866-995-8770.
• Call 3-1-1 or email 311@ottawa.ca. To assist with reporting, each e-scooter has a printed number on it to identify and locate the e-scooter in question.

E-scooters are allowed to operate on the city’s multi-use pathways, cycling facilities like cycle tracks and bike lanes, and on roads. They are prohibited, however, on National Capital Commission pathways and in the City of Gatineau. Visit ottawa.ca for the full list of regulations and COVID-19 safety guidance.