The e-scooter service, from Lime, will launch in mid-September and will be phasing in across the city through 2028

Concerns over ride-share e-scooters creating hazards on sidewalks and streets are causing debate among municipal governments in Canada.

The City of Vancouver has found a solution.

Lime, a San Francisco-based micro-mobility provider, now has the green light to launch a public e-scooter sharing program in Vancouver — complete with docking infrastructure.

“Vancouver was absolutely insistent that [docking] was the only way they would move forward,” says Rachel Rappaport, government relations senior manager for Eastern Canada at Lime, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

So, Lime built a proposal that did just that and, with final approvals now in place, will be launching the service next month.

City prioritized accessibility, reliability

In November 2023, Vancouver issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking an operator to design, implement, own and manage a publicly accessible e-scooter system.

“The system design parameters, such as the requirement for stations, were based on feedback from our Citizen Advisory Committees, our successful public bike share system (known as Mobi by Rogers), and industry best practices,” says a spokesperson for the city, in email statements to Electric Autonomy.

Several factors drove the city’s decision to mandate bids that included locking dock stations, already widely used by bike-sharing services. (Without docks, users can just drop or pick up e-scooters in random locations.)

“Docked systems improve accessibility by ensuring sidewalks and roads are clear and have benefits related to system reliability and maintenance,” says the spokesperson.

In addition, docking stations streamline operations and enhance the user experience by offering a consistent experience where riders can reliably know where they can find a scooter, how to unlock it and how to re-park it after use.

“We’re excited to partner with Lime as they introduce their first docked system,” says the city spokesperson.

Vancouver phasing-in e-scooter program

The City of Vancouver’s e-scooter contract with Lime spans an initial five-year term. There is an option to extend the deal for up to three additional five-year terms, for a total contract duration of 20 years.

The deployment of the e-scooter system will follow a phased approach, starting in mid-September.

In the first phase, Lime will introduce 100 e-scooters and 29 docking stations in the Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodland neighbourhoods. These areas were chosen, in part, because they are underserved by existing transit options, says the city.

The initial deployment also offers Lime the opportunity to test and refine the system before expanding into more densely populated neighbourhoods. The service area will extend westward toward downtown Vancouver as performance targets are met. The first stations in the downtown area will launch in early 2025.

From there, the system will continue to grow, with a goal of citywide coverage by 2028.

Learning from past Lime pilots

Vancouver is the first city where Lime has introduced an e-scooter share program with fixed docking infrastructure in any market.

“I think it’s going to be interesting because the fixed parking model is something some of the bigger cities have been asking for,” says Rappaport.

Larger cities, like Montreal, could also benefit from a docked e-scooter sharing system.

Back in 2019, Lime operated a shared e-scooter program in Montreal but failed to secure a contract renewal after the city cited widespread issues with illegal e-scooter parking.

“It didn’t go well last time. We’re open about that,” says Rappaport. “The industry was in its infancy and we were still figuring things out.”

However, Lime has since gained extensive experience, operating in over 280 markets globally.

“We are now able to pull different insights from Australia, from Europe. I can call my Mexico colleagues and ask ‘How did this work for you guys?’ and we can pick and choose and build something that can work for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver,” says Rappaport.

Currently, Toronto and Montreal do not have shared e-scooter programs.

“It’s challenging from an infrastructure and an investment standpoint [having a docked system],” says Rappaport. “There really aren’t other companies that are doing it, and we made the choice to invest into that for Vancouver, so hopefully then it opens up some of the concerns in and around Montreal.”

Lime is gradually reentering the market elsewhere in Quebec. The e-scooter company is currently in its second year of operations in Montreal’s North Shore in Laval and at Montreal’s Parc Jean-Drapeau.

Rappaport sees this as a promising sign for a potential comeback in the city of Montreal proper and has been in touch with the Montreal police about potential future deployments with law enforcement.

Docked vs. dockless

While Vancouver and Lime move forward with their first docked e-scooter share system, not everyone in the industry is convinced of its merits.

Neuron Mobility Canada, another major e-scooter provider in Canada, operates in 16 cities such as Ottawa, Oshawa, Brampton, the Region of Waterloo, Regina, Saskatoon, Airdrie, Calgary and more. Neuron does not currently implement docking systems in any of its Canadian markets.

“We do have corrals in some cities, which is a form of docking where there are specific designated areas [for scooter drop-off] that are partitioned off by the piece of infrastructure,” says Isaac Ransom, head of corporate affairs for Neuron Mobility Canada, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

“Our recommendation to municipalities is always to have the most flexible model possible because it will encourage the most ridership, which then encourages a decreased use of motor vehicles.”

Ransom argues that docking stations can limit access and convenience, limit parking areas for users and increase infrastructure maintenance.

Instead, Neuron relies on geofencing technology to control where scooters can start and end trips without the need for physical docking infrastructure.

Additionally, Neuron’s app includes a feature that prompts riders to take and submit a photo of their parked e-scooter to verify proper parking before they can end their riding session.

“That being said, it’s not to say that there aren’t cities where docking may be warranted and we’d have to take a look at that on a case-by-case basis,” says Ransom.

Bird Canada is another major player in the e-scooter market. Electric Autonomy reached out to Bird for their perspective on docking systems but did not get a response in time for publication.