Bird Canada Launches New Pilot Project in Ottawa

Bird Canada (Bird), an e-scooter company, recently launched its new pilot project in Ottawa, making available 260 shared e-scooters to the public. This pilot marks the first of its kind in Ontario and is set to run until October 31. Stewart Lyons, the CEO of Bird Canada, said the company’s hope is that other cities in the province will follow suit and “take advantage of the benefits that shared e-scooters deliver.”

Similar to its previous pilots across Canada, Bird has made it quick and simple for users to find, pay for and activate e-scooters through its mobile app. It costs only $1.15 to unlock a scooter, and then $0.35 for each kilometer driven. In order to legally ride one of Bird’s scooters in Ontario, riders must be over 16 years old, with those under 18 required to wear a helmet. Ontario’s regulations also require all scooters to be equipped with a bell, lights and brakes.

According to CTV News, the launch has been a huge success so far with nearly 5,000 rides taken within the first four days. Not only are Bird’s e-scooters an innovative, fun and affordable way to travel, with COVID-19 making it more difficult for people to safely ride public transit, the scooters offer Ottawa’s residents a great alternative as they allow commuters to more easily practise proper social distancing.

City officials have confirmed the scooters will be disinfected daily, but riders are still encouraged to wash their hands as well as use their own disinfectant wipes before and after use.

Author: Samara Friszman, 2020 Summer Student-at-law