Electric scooters back in Ottawa, longer hours offered
Electric scooters are once again rolling down the streets of Ottawa ahead of another summer, providing residents with a convenient mode of transportation for short trips in the downtown core.
Rebecca Kovacs and her friends are visiting Ottawa from Vancouver, and using e-scooters to explore downtown.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
"We're kind of just cruising around, exploring the town," said Kovacs.
Duru Gundogdu adds, "I mean, this is kind of like my first time in Ottawa, so doing this is kind of fun, getting to know the city, you know?"
The city kicked off its fifth year last Thursday, marking the return of the popular e-scooters to the capital.
"It's a really great example of working together with the community to make the program work for, frankly, all members of the community," said Austin Spademan, Bird Canada's head of government partnerships.
Operating hours are extended this year.
"It used to cut off at 11 p.m. and now the City of Ottawa has extended the operating hours to 1 a.m., which gives a lot more flexibility to our riders to basically have a reliable mode of transportation any time of the day," Spademan said.
Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts, vice-chair of the city's transportation committee, highlighted the safety measures accompanying the extended hours, including a sobriety test requirement for riders using the scooters after 11 p.m.
"And because we're going later into the evening after 11 p.m., we're requiring that there's actually a sobriety test with the technology, just to make sure that it's safe. You know, if people are using them after they're out and about, we want to make sure everybody's safe," Kitts said.
The sobriety test is a series of skill-testing questions or a test of your reaction time on the app.
The extended hours apply to several neighborhoods, including Downtown, Westboro, Sandy Hill, The Glebe, and Vanier; however, riders in the ByWard Market area will still be cut-off at 11 p.m. The city plans to begin the season with 900 e-scooters and may increase the number to 1,200 if necessary.
"Since launching in Ottawa, people have traveled over half a million kilometres on their own e-scooters, which is quite incredible. That's had an estimated impact of, inverting 35 tonnes of CO2 emissions since we launched in the city," said Isaac Ransom, Neuron Mobility Canada's head of corporate affairs.
The e-scooters not only help people travel more efficiently, they are also helping the local economy.
"When riders are scooting around the city, 73 per cent of these trips are resulting in a purchase, which is pretty fantastic for main street businesses with an average of $32 per person. And so it is having a significant economic impact on the city of Ottawa," Ransom said.
During the 2023 season, approximately 50,000 users took nearly 180,000 trips around the city, averaging about 1,000 trips per day.
"Every year we kind of take the feedback we're getting from the community, to bring that back to the companies. And so they're becoming more and more widely accepted. I think there was a lot of resistance initially, and I think now people are embracing them," Kitts said.
"The one thing that I would change, rather than doing by the minute, tourists, they might want to just take it for an hour. So do kind of like an hourly rate." Said Kovacs.
This year's e-scooter season will run until Nov. 15.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.