E-scooter and e-bike program officially launches in Lethbridge

Additionally, riders can buy three-day, weekly or monthly passes. Users must also be at least 18 years old to ride the vehicles.

A sign demonstrating how to use the vehicles. (Lethbridge News Now)

Currently, there are about 250 e-scooters and 50 e-bikes across the city, with Neuron’s Regional Manager and Head of Markets for Canada, Ankush Karwal, noting that depending on demand and how Lethbridge adjusts to the vehicles, they can ramp that up to 500 e-scooters and 100 e-bikes.

Neuron was formed in Singapore in 2016 and arrived in Canada in 2021. The company currently operates in Ottawa, Calgary, Red Deer, Vernon and now Lethbridge.

Lethbridge holds the distinction of being the first city in Canada to offer the e-bike rentals.

Ankush Karwal said, “we’ve already seen people out and about on them, so that’s really cool for us.”

A GPS system that controls where the vehicles can be ridden and parked and at what speeds they can travel in certain areas will be utilized to ensure safety. Neuron refers to this as ‘Geofencing Control’.

The vehicles are capped at a maximum of 20 kilometres per hour, but Karwal said, “we do geofence them down to about 12 or 15 kilometres an hour.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lethbridge News Now (@lethnewsnow)

He added that the map of where the vehicles can be ridden will be evolved as the program makes its mark in Lethbridge. In the first phase of the program, the e-scooters and e-bikes will be available and can be ridden throughout West and South Lethbridge, covering a 47 square kilometre service area.

At this time, vehicles cannot be taken to and are not available in North Lethbridge.

“There are a couple of areas that have been capped off for now, like the University, the [Lethbridge] College area but yes, you can go down Whoop-Up [Drive] and go up the other side as well.”

Karwal said the e-scooters have a more powerful motor than the vehicles in other cities to account for the large scale of the hill on Whoop-Up Drive.

“In case you do manage to get stuck while going uphill, a couple of kicks and you’ll be on your way again. It’s fairly strong from what we’ve tried.”

In determining the location of the vehicles, Karwal said they research what areas are most likely to see strong ridership.

“Over a period of the next couple of months, this will evolve. There’s a lot of data that we look at and analyse to figure out what spots are working well for us and what needs to be created further, so it could be that there’s no spot here today but a week or 10 days down the line there will be a spot with scooters here if the demand is high.”

SAFETY

Karwal remarked that safety is a key for Neuron Mobility, with staff regularly sanitizing the vehicles and conducting necessary maintenance work on the e-scooters and e-bikes.

Each vehicle comes with an attached helmet as well. Helmets are cleaned regularly, and any damages are repaired promptly. Karwal said users are allowed to wear their own helmets if they prefer.

Neuron is able to track how many people are wearing their helmets and Karwal noted that they “incentive safety”. Users who take a selfie with their helmet on will receive 50 cents off their next trip.

To ensure people return the helmets once their trip is done, Karwal explained that there is a pop-up on the app that reminds them to lock the helmet with the vehicle and “if you haven’t, it will tell you that you haven’t returned the helmet.”

You have to lock the helmet to completely end your trip, if using one of Neuron’s helmets and not your own. The company will also be hosting “Scoot Safe” events over the next few weeks where they will give away free helmets.

ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORT

Karwal said the vehicles are available all day and night.

“It’s a lot of things that we see in other cities, people who work in the hospitality industry, people working at hospitals, working late shifts, they love taking these things at late nights or early mornings when the local public transport is at lesser availability.”

He noted that Neuron is hoping to partner with the Lethbridge Police Service going forward to ensure the rental program is safe and sustainable.

To prevent theft, Karwal explained that when someone tries to move the e-scooter without using the app, a voice command and siren will be prompted to hopefully deter someone from illegally taking the vehicle. Neuron staff can also see where the vehicles are at all times to make sure they are not being stolen or taken to areas that are out of bounds.

To encourage people to avoid driving while intoxicated, Karwal added that they can time a reaction game. He said, “on a Friday night or a Saturday night, after 6 p.m., at a particular area, if you start your trip from there, there’s a reaction game that comes on. If you fail that game, the scooter will tell you to take a cab.”

“In case you still insist on riding, we’ll get to know that you failed and you’re driving, and we can reach out to you and say, we think you shouldn’t be riding.”

People who disobey the rules of riding the vehicles can be banned from using the app.

Karwal added that the e-scooters are allowed to be driven on both the sidewalk and roads. The e-bikes can only be ridden on the road and multi-use pathways.

More information about the e-bikes and e-scooters is available at Neuron Mobility’s website.

by Justin Goulet

E-scooter and e-bike program officially launches in Lethbridge

What's Happening