If you spend time in the Waterloo region, you’re bound to see people zooming through the city on bright orange e-scooters. Whether it be students getting to class, groups of friends going out for a late night adventure, or couples riding about Titanic-style, these e-scooters have become an unavoidable feature of the Waterloo transportation landscape. 

In spring 2023, the company Neuron Mobility partnered with the Region of Waterloo’s city council and launched a rentable e-scooter program in the region. A year after its establishment, we can examine the impact this program has had in Waterloo, as well as other regions.   

In the Region of Waterloo, there is already no shortage of safety related incidents surrounding the Neuron Mobility e-scooters. “I just think they’re just so dangerous, people go way too fast on them. I have friends who have ridden without a helmet or have ridden after getting high and have gotten seriously hurt that way,” said Sarah Mah, a fourth-year engineering student at UW. “I also think that we don’t really have good bike lanes, so a lot of people end up just riding on the sidewalk, which makes me feel really unsafe when they’re around me. I’ve seen people completely faceplant off the scooters while trying to avoid hitting someone walking.” 

Anjali Rawal is a recent UW alumni who flew off an e-scooter after riding on the sidewalk down Phillip Street and badly hurt her knees and ribcage. She said that “[she hasn’t] tried riding a scooter ever since,” due to a fear of injuring herself again. “It took me three weeks to get better. It was really hard because the pain in my chest made it hard to laugh, speak, or even breathe sometimes.”

When asked about her opinion on the safety aspect of e-scooters, Rawal said: “I think there could be a bit more information on the app or on the scooter itself about whether you should be following the road rules as they pertain to cars or pedestrians, especially for things like left turns or the policy on whether you can ride them on the sidewalk.” Expanding on what changes the Region of Waterloo could implement for safer roads, she said, “More bike and scooter lanes would probably also make the rides safer for both riders and vehicle drivers.”

The fact of the matter is, with an increase in e-scooter use in Waterloo, there will most likely be an increase in unsafe operation. Unless Neuron Mobility and the Region of Waterloo dedicates more time and resources in e-scooter safety education, as well as improving the existing bike lane infrastructure, we are bound to see similar trends in injuries and collisions that many other major cities with e-scooters have been witnessing. 

In general, there have been mounting safety concerns surrounding e-scooter programs. Cities such as Paris, Melbourne, Rome, and Toronto, have been winding back or outright banning the use of rentable e-scooters. “There are just too many people breaking the rules — people not wearing helmets, double dinking, riding on footpaths, creating a hazard for people around the city,” said the mayor of Melbourne Nicholas Reece in a press conference earlier this year. ‘Double dinking’ refers to the practice of two people riding together on one e-scooter together, and while it may seem cute to witness a couple or friends riding together, it’s definitely not the safest. 

Cities such as Calgary and Edmonton have both reported higher amounts of e-scooter related injuries, with the number of Alberta ER and urgent care visits due to e-scooter injuries jumping by 21 per cent between 2022 and 2023. Kathy Belton, the director of the University of Alberta’s Injury Prevention Centre, said to CBC: “As e-scooters get to be more popular we’re seeing more and more people on them and some of the behaviours that we’re seeing on them are risky, such as no helmets.”

Despite all the rising safety concerns, there are many benefits that have the potential to be realized in Waterloo with the implementation of the e-scooter program. Neuron Mobility operates similar programs in 12 other cities across Canada, and aims to provide an alternative transportation option to unnecessary car trips. The company claims that their program can give direct boosts to the local economy as well as aid cities in hitting their emission targets.

These aims have definitely been reflected in their implementation within the Waterloo Region. From April to October 2023, Neuron Mobility reported that the e-scooters in Waterloo traveled over 360,000 kilometres by e-scooters, resulting in the prevention of 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. In the same period, the program contributed ~$8.2 million into the regional economy, due to Neuron Mobility claiming that their program encourages locals to do more and spend more, giving a direct boost to economies. 

There are, however, a number of benefits that have yet to be reported within the Waterloo Region. For example, Neuron Mobility claims that the data collected from their e-scooters (such as movements, speed, drop-off/pick-up locations) can be shared with cities to better manage their transportation systems, but the Region of Waterloo has not yet released information on how the e-scooter program has been beneficial in terms of urban planning purposes. Neuron Mobility also claims that riders with disabilities are more reliant on the e-scooter program than the average rider, and that their service promotes accessible streets for all users, however the impact of the e-scooter program on riders with disabilities has not been made clear within Waterloo.

While the e-scooter program has definitely brought some positive change to our community, the question of other potential benefits must be asked, especially in the face of rising safety concerns surrounding e-scooter use. Is there a way to make the e-scooter program more beneficial for our community? And can it be done in a way that ensures a greater focus on safe operation? 

The success of the e-scooter program hinges on our community’s ability to adapt to the rules and regulations that surround the use of the e-scooters, especially in terms of safety and accessibility. Whether bright orange e-scooters will continue to be a part of Waterloo’s transportation landscape, only time will tell. 

Below are the rules of the road set forth by the Region of Waterloo surrounding e-scooters that you can refer to if you are thinking of trying one out: 

1. Riders must be 16 years old and above.
2. Riding is allowed on multi-use pathways, cycle tracks, bicycle lanes, and streets where the speed limit is 50km/h or less. Do not ride on sidewalks.
3. Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or any other substances
4. Wearing a helmet is a legal requirement.
5. Follow local parking guidelines. Use the vehicle lock provided to secure your e-scooter to a pole or frame at the end of your ride.
6. Only one rider allowed per e-scooter, and no tandem riding even with children.
7. Maintain a safe distance between riders and pedestrians. Do not tailgate.
8. Give way to pedestrians and mobility devices (such as wheelchairs) at all times.