Skip to main content

Montreal bans e-scooters following rider misuse

The Canadian city of Montreal has outlawed shared electric scooters from its streets after hundreds of riders disregarded rules on parking and helmet use. 
By Ben Spencer March 12, 2020 Read time: 2 mins
Not all scooter riders played nice in Montreal (© Vlad Ispas | Dreamstime.com)

The decision follows a project last summer in which Lime and Bird deployed 430 and 250 e-scooters, respectively, at various locations in the city. 

Many users reportedly left the vehicles on the pavement or street instead of returning them to their designated areas.  

Last September, the city imposed $50 tickets on riders caught parking illegally.

Police also issued more than 300 tickets to riders who ignored rules on wearing helmets while riding e-scooters. 

A Montreal Bike Coalition spokesman told Montreal Gazette that there was ‘great potential’ in the scheme.

“The average trip on the scooters was just 1.5km and, in 2019, 25% of the trips were linked to public transit. The problem, of course, is that the operators didn’t do what they had to do to make sure that people who were renting them were following the rules when it comes to parking.”

Lime general manager Michael Markevich, says: “With more than 200,000 trips and 50,000 riders in just three months, it’s clear there was a real demand for greener, more convenient transportation options. We remain open to solutions that address the city’s concerns and are eager to bring the program back as soon as possible.”

Those who own an e-scooter may still use them on some public roads.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Detroit pilots new data standard for dockless mobility
    November 16, 2018
    Several organisations are coming together in Detroit, US, to pilot a new tool to analyse mobility data for dockless bikes and scooters. The aim is to allow urban authorities which work with dockless mobility providers to share and analyse trip data, including trip origins and destinations, neighbourhood availability, travel times and usage. This should give them the chance to allocate street space to sustainable transportation, improve safety and provide more equal access to transport services. Detroit M
  • New Haven shows small can be beautiful
    October 22, 2014
    Connecticut’s new administration is using smart policy and ITS solutions to bridge social divides. Andrew Bardin Williams investigates. With only 130,000 residents, New Haven can hardly be called a metropolis. Measuring less than 502km (18 square miles), the city is huddled against the coast, squeezed between two mountains (appropriately called East Rock and West Rock) that, at 111m and 213m (366ft and 700ft) respectively, can hardly be called mountains. The airport is small and has limited service, and th
  • Brazil is just the ticket for InDrive
    February 20, 2025
    Bus ticketing is part of firm's expansion beyond ride-hailing core business
  • MaaS is at the ‘baby steps’ stage – but needs to get up and running soon
    April 16, 2018
    Data sharing between organisations remains a potential problem for Mobility as a Service projects, attendees at February's MaaS Market conference in London were told. Alan Dron listens in on the presentations.