Would you like to ride a scooter to work or to meet friends for cocktails? The city of Montreal and its transport minister have approved an electric scooter share service for residents and visitors.
It will be fairly simple to access. Users find a scooter using an app, and they pay by the minute. When a tourist or commuter is finished using the scooters, he or she simply leaves it in a designated area, reports MTL Blog.
The city has had good success with the rideshare program Bixi, which launched in 2014. The service also features an app and physical docking stations, allowing people to use bicycles across the city.
The scooter program is expected to boost the number of public transit options for Montreal residents.
It’s not the first Canadian city to offer an electric scooter rideshare network. Waterloo has a similar program. Typically, the scooter company pays employees to collect the scooters at the end of the day, recharge them, and then put them back in place for consumers to access the following day.
At this point, details about where scooters can be deposited in Montreal have not been released. It’s believed they will feature locks, and users should be able to chain them to bike stands and other designated spots.
Ridesharing is not without its problems. Some cities have reported that riders don’t always like wearing helmets and frequently don’t stay in bike lanes.
It’s unclear which company will be running the scooter program in Montreal; however, JUMP and Lime are both interested in working there. Interested businesses will be required to pay $15,000 for a permit, depending on their size. They will also need to have an office in Montreal.
