Data from the e-scooters piloting the OVIN Demonstration Zone will help inform city planning to address first and last-mile transit challenges

Scooty Mobility Inc., an Ontario-based micro-mobility rental provider, is launching a two-month pilot to test electric scooters in Markham, just north of Toronto.

The pilot, announced today, aims to demonstrate e-scooters as an effective solution for improving the flow of people to and from downtown areas while reducing the city’s carbon footprint.

The e-scooters will deploy in the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) Demonstration Zone — a platform that offers real-world testing environments for mobility solutions including electric vehicles, connected and autonomous technologies, robotics and first- and last-mile transit options.

“One of our core theses is to connect people to and from public transit,” explains Shoaib Ahmed, founder and CEO of Scooty, in an interview with Electric Autonomy. As Canadian cities build more transit-oriented communities, says Ahmed, the key question is: “How are people connecting to transit?”

Bridging transportation gaps

For the pilot, Scooty is deploying 50 to 60 e-scooters across 11 designated parking spots in the Markham Centre in downtown Markham. The company will collect data on how people use the e-scooters to connect with public transit, work, home and recreational spots.

This data, says Ahmed, will help guide city planning by highlighting high-traffic routes and identifying infrastructure needs, such as bike lanes on certain streets.

It will also support the regional transit authority, Metrolinx by showing how many people use e-scooters to ride to and from transit stops. This information could help Metrolinx plan transit routes, service frequency and determine the number of vehicles required.

The benefits of this pilot program extend to the private sector as well.

As part of the pilot, Scooty is also collaborating with real estate developer, Remington Group, to provide data insights into how micro-mobility impacts tenants.

“Installing or deploying micro-mobility as a first and last mile solution to their tenants and residents is a great opportunity,” says Ahmed. There are benefits to the environment too, with trips by e-scooters helping reduce carbon emissions.

A novel Markham program

The arrival of the Scooty e-scooter pilot marks the first time, says Ahmen, that Markham has launched this type of micro-mobility rental option in the city.

So, why now?

“We want to be able to make it easy for people to transfer from one mode of transportation to another, and have both physical and software solutions for people to be able to travel easily within Markham Centre,” Markham mayor, Frank Scarpitti, tells Electric Autonomy in an interview.

The current pilot will run until October. Scarpitti is hopeful that through enough observation and data, e-scooters can become a “permanent option within certain areas” of the city.

“Ultimately, within this demonstration zone…there’ll be 80,000 to 100,000 people living there,” says Scarpitti. “I’m hoping that this is an area of the city that we can incorporate [e-scooters] in because of the proximity of destinations within the Markham centre area.”

Scarpitti is also hopeful about other technologies, such as ride-sharing solutions and charging infrastructure, set to be tested at the OVIN Demonstration Zone in the coming months.

“It’ll be more on the technology side and being able to utilize resources better and access them more effectively; all in an effort to reduce reliance on cars and to improve connectivity to public transportation.”

OVIN’s role

OVIN is an initiative started by the Ontario government in 2021, with a mandate to help the province become a global leader in the automotive sector by building a robust ecosystem and attracting investments.

The OVIN Demonstration Zone launched in the cities of Markham and Vaughan last year with $2.5 million in provincial funding. The zone provides infrastructure and space for companies (such as Scooty) to address mobility challenges and showcase new technology features and functionalities to the public.

“Ontario is driving a new mobility future by paving the way for the adoption of innovative new technologies through the OVIN Demonstration Zone,” says Raed Kadri, head of OVIN.

“This key initiative reaffirms the province’s central role in connecting Ontario companies to municipalities and other potential customers and its commitment to fostering the growth and commercialization of emerging technologies.”

In addition to the OVIN pilot, Scooty also operates a rental program in Brampton and Barrie.