What could this alternative form of transportation mean for the people of Saskatoon?

When I returned to Saskatoon this fall, I realized that something was different. That something was… strange. I was walking downtown when I passed a cluster of four-to-five electric scooters. I felt that this was odd. I was not used to seeing anybody on an electric scooter, let alone an entire flock of people on them.I walked another block only to find yet another small cluster of scooters. That’s when something clicked in my head, and I remembered news reports from years ago about electric scooter companies dropping off large shipments of their products in places like Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York for public use. Had Saskatoon become the latest target of these companies?

Well… not really. In fact, I went on to discover that this had been in the works for quite a while. The City of Saskatoon has been working on this project to bring shared electric scooters here since at least spring of 2022.  Around that time, the City of Saskatoon set up a meeting with the Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) company, the University of Saskatchewan and other “key community partners,” to ask them their thoughts and concerns on the possibility of bringing electric scooters to Saskatoon During this meeting, they went on to discuss the requirements needed to allow people to use the shared e-scooters such as where these e-scooters should be allowed to be ridden and safe speed limits. They also talked about what positives might be seen if e-scooters were to come to Saskatoon. They mentioned the possible cost-benefit for commuters, as they would not have to use their car,  the possible environmental upsidesand that it may be more convenient for tourists.

Later, in the fall of 2022, the City of Saskatoon began to develop an idea of what the regulations for the e-scooters may look like, but also began to look for the community’s opinion on the matter as well. It was ultimately decided that the city would go forth with a “two-year pilot program”  for the e-scooters, and it was expected to start in April of 2023. The scooters are to remain on the streets of Saskatoon until the end of October. Presumably, the success of this program will determine whether or not the city continues to provide shared e-scooters in the future.

The scooters currently on the streets are Neuron and Bird. Together, these two brands have provided up to 500 scooters for Saskatoon. These scooters are not allowed on sidewalks, but instead are meant to stay in bike lanes, on roadways and multi-use pathways. There are designated parking locations for all of them, clearly marked on the map provided for you on each e-scooter company’s app. The maximum speed for the scooters is 20-32 km/hr. Both brands cost $1.15 to unlock and then $0.39 per minute used.

After learning  all of this, I decided to try these e-scooters out for myself. Admittedly this was a bad idea on my part, as I am practically a luddite when it comes to all things technology and  also infamously bad at going fast. Bad at driving, bad at biking, bad at running, just bad at going fast all around. So, this was predestined to go badly, but I was curious what my experience would be anyways. First, I downloaded both apps for the scooters,the Neuron App and Bird App. I immediately scoured both of the maps provided by the apps for the closest one near me, and was surprised to find there was very little where I was by the Physical Activity Complex (PAC) on campus. However, there were some Bird scooters not too far away. I struggled with the Bird App and getting the scooter started, but figured it out eventually. While going through the terms, I had to agree several times that I was at least “somewhat fit” to operate the scooter. Due to my lack of experience, I seriously considered if I was. I also read that the Bird scooters did not recommend carrying a bag with you while using their product –even a backpack –and it also expressly forbade balancing any bags on the handle-bars. This surprised me, as I wondered what one could use the Bird Scooter for if they couldn’t take anything with them from Point A to Point B. I decided to try it out anyways. I knew that I couldn’t ride on the sidewalk, so I figured some of the quieter roads on campus would be the ideal place to learn. I was shocked to find that it was pretty easy to get started and that I didn’t immediately fall over. However, I only rode for a few seconds before the scooter completely shut down and began to beep to alert me to do something. I soon realized that on the map, the University of Saskatchewan was completely dark, indicating that the campus was a “no-fly zone” for the Bird Scooters. This meant that if I couldn’t go on campus and couldn’t use the sidewalk, I could only cross the street. This was a very busy street and I did not relish the idea of possibly falling off of my scooter in front of a dozen vehicles waiting to get on with their day, so I decided that it would be best to wait until I got home to try out the scooter. However, when I did get home, I was shocked to see that at that time there were almost no scooters on the East Side of the city, and the closest one to me was a 30 minute walk away. This, again, raised questions about the usefulness of the scooters for an everyday person.

The next day, I returned to campus and this time I decided to try out a Neuron scooter already across the street by College Quarter. I immediately found Neuron’s app easier to navigate and the scooter easier to start.  However, the actual riding of the scooter did prove to be a problem. I used a bike trail, but as it was often used by bikes, I frequently had to move out of the way of oncoming cyclists. Not that this was terribly difficult for me, since  I never managed to stay on the scooter for very long. I found that it accelerated quite quickly and I struggled with keeping my balance, although I suspect that last part was at no fault of the scooter’s. I eventually got the scooter to the nearest parking spot by walking it most of the way. It ended up being a 19 minute “ride” and it cost me nine dollars and five cents. Although my experience with the scooter was less than successful, I did enjoy myself at least a little bit while trying to figure it out, and could easily see how they could be enjoyable for recreational use.

I am not sure of what use the e-scooters could serve in Saskatoon or if they will be effective at the service, but I do see the potential. Whether that potential will be enough for the City of Saskatoon to continue with the program or not is yet to be seen.