(Neuron Mobility)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

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Three-year e-scooter pilot in Red Deer now over

Oct 31, 2023 | 3:51 PM

E-scooter season in Red Deer is over, and so ends the City’s three-year pilot project.

Neuron, one of the operators in Red Deer, says riders racked up 230,000 kilometres on its scooters since March.

The latest survey from Neuron shows nine out of 10 people believe e-scooters have made a positive impact on the the region by improving mobility, air quality and congestion.

“We are delighted by the continued strong uptake of our e-scooters in Red Deer. Already they have become an important part of the local transport network and are making a positive impact on a diverse demographic of users,” says Ankush Karwal, GM, Neuron Mobility.

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“Many riders are also using them to replace short car journeys, while making purchases at local businesses with each e-scooter contributing $23,000 to Red Deer’s economy. We want to thank the City of Red Deer and our riders for their continued trust and support in making the 2023 season a huge success.”

Neuron reports that the average trip on one of their scooters in Red Deer this year was 2.9 km and took 16 minutes.

More e-scooter trips — 49 per cent — are replacing car journeys, a six per cent increase from last year, they add.

According to Neuron, 68 per cent of Neuron trips resulted in a purchase at a local business, with an average of $70 spent per trip, for an overall spend of $5.7 million this year.

“Council and I are so pleased that the e-scooter pilot program has brought with it such a wide variety of benefits to not only our citizens, but our businesses, environment and economy,” says Mayor Ken Johnston. “We have had a great three summers trialing this alternate method of transportation in our community, and look forward to reviewing the results and seeing what the future looks like for e-scooters here in Red Deer.”

The City says it will be seeking public feedback before the end of 2023, with a report to come back in Q1 2024, before a decision is made on whether or not to bring back e-scooters permanently.

Elsewhere in central Alberta

E-scooter riders, using Neuron machines, also travelled an estimated 128,000 km in Sylvan Lake, Blackfalds and Lacombe this year.

Neuron’s survey found females are now on equal ground as far as those riding e-scooters in those municipalities.

They say 61 per cent of all e-scooter trips resulted in an average purchase of $42 from a local business, for an overall impact of $2.4 million.

Rides eliminated about eight tonnes of CO2 emissions in those places.

This was the second year of two-year pilots in Lacombe and Blackfalds, and their first year in Sylvan Lake.