Lime e-scooters quickly grew in popularity in Calgary, Edmonton and Montreal, and the company is looking to expand its services to other Canadian cities.
Lime Canada has had limited communication with Saskatchewan, last speaking to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) in December 2018.
Saskatchewan has legislation that allows power-assisted bicycles, but an e-scooter is considered a non-compliant motor vehicle and is currently prohibited from Saskatchewan roads.
“You’ve got some moving parts,” said Chris Schafer, Lime Canada senior director of strategic development.
“You’ve got the province and the ministry of transportation or the equivalent there that needs to do their work to determine whether in fact this is something they wish to have available.”
Further rule changes would then need to be approved at a municipal level.
“Assuming the province and provincial regulations permit them to have scooters on public roads, the cities decide whether, in fact, they’d like to have a shared scooter operation locally from companies such as Lime,” Schafer said.
Schafer said other cities have been drawn to its services because e-scooters are eco-friendly, help with traffic congestion and are affordable.
Users download an app where they can track and pay for an e-scooter. It’s a $1 fee to unlock the scooter and another 30 cents for every minute they ride.
There are no plans to change current legislation or regulations in Saskatchewan, and SGI isn’t aware of any provincial authority in Canada changing legislation or regulation to allow on-road use of e-scooters.
SGI said its main concern is safety as Lime e-scooters can reach speeds up to 20 kilometres an hour.
Inexperienced riders and those not wearing helmets are at risk for serious injuries.
Around 60 patients with e-scooter related injuries visited Calgary emergency rooms last summer. Most were fractures, but some were head injuries.
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