Almost a week since the introduction of electric scooters to Regina, many local residents are voicing their reactions since the launch.
On June 28, 2023, Regina welcomed e-scooters to rent from vendors Bird and Neuron.
Dawn Dosonberger and her family wanted to give the e-scooters a try so her and her husband downloaded both apps to find out that the Bird app only showed one active scooter in the whole city.
“The Neuron app showed there was a bunch for rent down in Wascana so we came here, and we were only able to activate one scooter even though he chose group ride,” she said. “No matter what, there was nobody online to help (and) there was no customer service available.”
Dosonberger is considering trying the e-scooters in the future if the vendors get the bugs fixed.
The owner of Bird in Regina, says since the launch, their experience has been very good, and people are giving positive responses. Gurjand Singh said he has been busy since the launch last week and will continue to work closely with the community to address concerns and issues.
“That’s the only way we can reduce the carbon emissions from the environment,” he said. “Our living these days are getting more expensive and expensive … these are the only things we can use to reduce our expenses. And so, we can save the environment, too.”
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John Klein has been an avid e-scooter rider for three years has his own scooter that he uses. He says he is in favour of the new means of transportation for the city of Regina.
“I think that they add a great transportation option for people in the city that’s more affordable and zero emission,” he said. “I’ve noticed that some people have said they’ve had trouble with that … I think that mostly the troubles are temporary, and with a little bit of effort, people will be able to enjoy them and use them around the city.”
Helmets on the scooters are mandatory, and people must be 16 years or older to ride.
E-scooters are allowed to operate within approved service areas, such as on bike lanes, park pathways, multi-use pathways and roads with a speed limit of 50 km/hour or less. E-scooters are not allowed on sidewalks and are limited to a maximum speed limit of 24 km/hr on roadways and 15 km/hr on pathways.
— With files from Andrew Benson
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