E-scooters might be rolling into Saskatoon, as local business owner Ben Quattrini works to get them in the city.
He runs The Boutique, a shop on Broadway, and is now wanting to expand some of his business ventures.
He said bringing e-scooters to the province would be a big city project within medium-sized cities.
“I think it brings a huge benefit to the city,” Quattrini said.
“Transportation wise and economically I think there’s many different benefits so I think it would be a successful project for us.”
He is partnering with Canadian company Roll Technologies, who have e-scooters in cities like Calgary and Kelowna.
“We prefer their product, we think their scooters are better. We also prefer their software, so we partnered with them,” Quattrini said.
If it rolls out in Saskatoon, which could be as early as this spring, 378 e-scooters would be in areas like downtown or along Broadway. Users download an app and pay $1 to start. They pay an additional 35 cents per minute of use.
Quattrini would fund the venture and brought the idea to a city transportation committee meeting earlier this week.
He was happy with how things went. Administration is now working on a report to outline concerns and create a potential framework for the project, which is expected to be complete in April.
Downtown Saskatoon executive director Brent Penner is glad Quattrini is taking the lead on the project, as he knows he’s very familiar with the city. He also believes e-scooters could help bring people to more local businesses.
However, he said there’s always a chance people won’t be responsible.
“No matter what kind of rule structure you layout for anything, it comes down to are people courteous when they’re riding on them,” Penner said.
While there are concerns about bringing the e-scooters into Saskatchewan cities, Roll Technologies cofounder Arda Erturk said they are designed with safety in mind.
First-time riders won’t be able to go the maximum speed of 20 km/hour and there will be incentives for people who wear helmets.
The technology can also limit users to ride and park in certain areas.
“We have our patrol team on the street and they are rolling around the city all the time. They observe rider behaviour and they provide helmets as well,” Erturk said.
Under the current plans, the project only needs municipal approval.
Municipalities can regulate e-scooter use on sidewalks and bike paths. Use on public roads falls under the traffic safety act which is provincial legislation. While the province hasn’t received a formal request, it would have concerns.
“Given the speed they travel and if they’re sharing the road with other vehicles, cars, trucks, buses, semis, there may be some concerns,” SGI media relations manager Tyler McMurchy said.