E-scooter sharing program launches in East Vancouver

A shared e-scooter system has officially hit the pavement in East Vancouver.  

Lime launched on Thursday, with 100 scooters and 27 parking stations across the Hastings-Sunrise and Grandview-Woodland neighbourhoods. 

"Get ready to embrace a new way of moving around Vancouver," said Mayor Ken Sim at a Thursday morning press conference. 

"It's a game changer." 

Lime representatives said Thursday's launch is part of a plan to expand across the city over the next few months, depending on how many people use the service. 

Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung, who led the initiative, says the city worked with Lime to adopt a model where the scooters cannot be left anywhere on the streets, but rather must be left at a docking station. 

"That was in response to a lot of the feedback we heard ... really wanting to ensure that our public space and sidewalks were kept clear," said Kirby-Yung. 

The scooters can be ridden in bike lanes and on streets with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, but are not allowed to be ridden on sidewalks. 

Users can choose to pay per ride or purchase monthly or daily passes. 

Lo Oliveira owns an e-scooter, which she says allows her to move more easily around Vancouver's downtown core, where she lives. 

She says having an e-scooter sharing program will eliminate the financial barrier for people who can't afford to buy one or just want to test it out. 

"I think it's the future of big cities, to have alternative transportation," she said. 

Accessibility concerns

Accessibility advocate Amy Amantea says having e-scooters on the streets can present difficulties for people with disabilities, including those who are blind or have low vision, like herself. 

"In my case, I don't see them coming in advance, I can't get out of the way of their path, and I don't hear them coming," she said. 

While she believes the docking system will reduce the abandonment of the scooters on the sidewalk, she says moving scooters on sidewalks are her biggest concern. 

"When we are all moving in the same space together and they have much more speed than I do ... that's where my biggest concern comes in." 

She says although the regulations don't allow riding on sidewalks, she frequently notices scooter users breaking the rules.