U.S.-based Lime introduces electric scooters to Canadians
Electric scooters are rolling into Waterloo, Ont., as Lime enters the Canadian market for the first time.
The California-based company said its e-scooters became available in the city west of Toronto on Tuesday and it hopes to expand to other markets across the country eventually.
Lime doesn’t use docking stations and instead allows consumers to pick up and leave e-scooters along streets. Users unlock and locate available e-scooters through the company’s app, which will charge $1 to unlock it and about 30 cents per minute to use.
Lime’s e-scooters are already available in dozens of markets across the U.S. and Europe, but its manager of midwest strategic development Nico Probst said the brand is now targeting Canada because it shares many goals with Lime — reducing congestion and carbon emissions and exploring innovative transportation.
“Coming into our neighbour up north is an exciting opportunity for us,” he said.
The company ’s push into the Canadian market comes after months of working with regulators and the city to find a way to co-exist and tackle laws. Waterloo is only permitting the e-scooters, which are meant to be operated in bike lanes, to be used on a network of private trails and university campuses, said the city ’s senior economic development adviser Ryan Mounsey.
Probst acknowledged Canada’s winters will force the company to take its e-scooters off the streets for part of the year.
Lime, which offers pedal and ebike rentals elsewhere, has also grappled with mounting concerns around dockless transportation. Some markets where Lime products or offerings from competitors Bird, Dropbike and Jump Bikes are available have faced complaints about abandoned e-scooters and bikes littering streets and sidewalks.
Mounsey said Waterloo was confident working with the company and introducing regulations could mitigate problems other areas have seen.