E-scooter and e-bike rides triple in Kelowna

Kelowna’s lone shared electric scooter service provider has announced some big ridership increases.

The figures come with just over three months before a new phase of the province’s exploration of this mode of transit gets underway with a bigger focus on health and safety.

Lime has announced the amount of users tripled in Kelowna in 2023, with an increase in total rides of 190 per cent compared to 2022.

Lime said it hoped to continue to play a part in Kelowna’s transportation system, connecting people to public transportation and offering a safe, sustainable, and affordable option via shared e-bikes and e-scooters.

Lime also debuted a 10% discount to all students and faculty at University of British Columbia Okanagan as a symbol of its commitment to deepening local partnerships in Kelowna.

In Kelowna, Lime said in 2023, 78,000 riders took over 555,000 trips on Lime e-bikes and e-scooters. That marks a 190 per cent increase in rides and a 67 per cent increase in riders compared to 2022.

Since Lime launched in April 2021, over 160,000 riders have taken over 940,000 rides in Kelowna.

On April 5, 2024, a province-led safety review will get underway and run for four years. The review replaces the first phase of the e-scooter pilot project that began in 2021, where the use of electric kick scooters was tested in 13 participating communities over a three-year period.

The provincial government said the review enables the collection of better health and safety data, which is needed to address outstanding questions about the safe integration of e-scooters into transportation networks. This will help determine if and how electric kick scooters should be permanently authorized for general use in B.C.

During the next four-year period, people will be able to legally use e-scooters in any community that authorizes their use. Participating communities will continue to prescribe how and where electric kick scooters can be used, subject to new regulations.