‘It was really fun:’ Shared e-scooters roll into Regina

There’s a new way to travel around Regina, as shared e-scooters are ready to scoot people to their next destination.

Bird Canada and Neuron Mobility Canada are providing 250 e-scooters each across the city.

Regina resident Terry Boychuk tried one for the first time Wednesday and said it was like riding a bike.

“I’m looking forward to updating my iPhone so I can rent one and go around the lake. Maybe (I’ll) get my mom on one of these,” he said with a laugh.

The scooters are programmed to operate in their designated service areas which include downtown, Wascana Park, the Warehouse District and some residential areas. The exact locations can be found on their respective apps.

Mayor Sandra Masters and Coun. Bob Hawkins took the scooters for a spin through Victoria Park on launch day.

“I had no reason to be as nervous as I was,” said Masters. “It was really fun actually.”

“It’s easy. The minute I got it, I went on a much longer ride than I expected,” said Hawkins.

Regina Mayor Sandra Masters takes an e-scooter for a spin on June 28, 2023. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

Users are able to travel on bike lanes, park pathways, multi-use pathways and roads that have a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour or less.

The e-scooters are not allowed on sidewalks. They have a sidewalk detection system where the motor will disengage and bring you to a safe stop, according to Alexandra Petre, the CEO of Bird Canada.

They cap out at a speed of 24 km/h on roads and 15 km/h on pathways.

Isaac Ransom, the head of corporate affairs for Neuron Mobility Canada, is excited for Regina residents to try out the company’s scooters.

“In Saskatoon, users have already travelled 100,000 kilometres on Neuron devices,” he said.

Coun. Bob Hawkins rides an e-scooter on June 28, 2023. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)

“What we’re seeing in those trips are short trips, they’re enjoying the trail systems and I expect there will be a lot of people doing the same thing this summer here in Regina.”

Ransom wants people to know that they have an important role in providing feedback to the e-scooter companies.

“We need to make sure we’re listening to our riders. It’s going to help inform how we can optimize parking and riding areas to ensure that people are enjoying the system,” he said.

Scooter rides in Regina will be available through October.

Both Neuron and Bird operate their scooters year-round in cities like Calgary and Edmonton. The City of Regina will make a decision based on actual usage, complaints, traffic violations and popularity to decide if the scooters will stay for the winter months.

The scooters are available for rent through the Neuron and Bird apps. The scooters cost $1.15 to start and an additional 39 cents per minute, plus taxes. Both companies offer different ride passes and provide safety tips and rules for riding.

Helmets are mandatory, and riders must be 16 years of age to use one of the scooters.