E-scooters rolled into the Lethbridge transportation scene this spring. A recent survey shows the two-wheeled rides have been good for business.
“What we saw was an increase in local traffic, like that Main Street traffic,” said Cyndi Bester with the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce. She added that they partnered with Neuron Mobility, the e-scooter provider in Lethbridge to gather some critical data, putting a dollar value on each rental.
“It was about $22 per ride that people invested in different businesses whether it was a restaurant or a local retail store or whatever so it did create some economic drive and ease of access,” said Bester.
Downtown business owner, Penny Warris with Analog Books said they have enjoyed seeing the e-options downtown, “it’s not just functional, it’s super fun.”
Warris added the option has given shoppers a fun way to get around the city, while helping with one of the downtown challenges — parking.
“We are such a busy street — parking is always an issue so anytime you can alleviate just a few parking (spots) it’s totally worth it. And when its fun on top of that, it’s just so much better and it’s just a quick thing to stop in,” said Warris.
According to Neuron, e-scooter riders have been responsible for injecting an estimated $3.2 million a year into Lethbridge’s economy with each scooter contributing $6,300.
“Ridership this year has been phenomenal in Lethbridge in terms of the over 400 thousand kilometers of rides that have been traveled in the city since we launched earlier this year and, as such, the uptake has resulted in a significant economic impact,” said Isaac Ransom, head of government relations in Canada for Neuron Mobility.
He added more kilometers will continue to be logged even when the snow flies with no plans to park them for the winter.
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