Saskatoon council to decide on shared e-scooter continuation at next meeting

Saskatoon city councillors could decide by the end of the month whether they’ll permit shared e-scooters to continue to operate in the city for the next several years.

A pilot program in the city with e-scooter companies Neuron and Bird began in the spring of 2023 and ended in the fall of 2024.

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At a Transportation Committee hearing Tuesday, a report from administration recommended that shared e-scooters be allowed seasonally because it provides another transportation option for residents, offers recreation and tourism opportunities, and reduces parking demand in some parts of the city.

But several city councillors and Mayor Cynthia Block expressed  concerns about safety around e-scooters.

According to information from the Saskatchewan Health Authority, during the entire pilot project there were 163 visits to an emergency room due to e-scooter-related injuries, ranging from minor to serious. There was also one fatal e-scooter crash that occurred in late June.

While helmet use was not reported by all patients, only about 44 per cent of riders admitted to wearing one.

Saskatoon’s shared e-scooter pilot began in 2023 and finished in the fall of 2024. (Céline Grimard/650 CKOM)

The health authority’s data did not distinguish between shared or private e-scooters, although private e-scooters are still not permitted in Saskatoon.

Ward 5 Coun. Randy Donauer said he found the low helmet usage numbers were extremely concerning.

“Can anything be done by anybody to get us some helmet compliance here?” he asked.

Jay Magus, Saskatoon’s director of transportation, said there was really nothing administration could do to force scooter riders to wear helmets.

“Our vendor partners provide the helmets, which I think is huge,” he said.

“They run some programs where they reward riders for wearing helmets… the education side is there too (but) not necessarily enforcement. It’s hard for me to speak for the (Saskatoon Police Service).”

Donauer said he noticed there had only been a “handful” of charges laid by the Saskatoon police in connection with non-compliance related to e-scooters.

Mayor Cynthia Block also expressed some worries related to helmet use.

“I continue to be concerned about the issue of folks not wearing helmets on those e-scooters,” she said. “It’s a great risk to everyone when they’re not wearing their helmets.”

Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce voiced concerns about the number of abandoned e-scooters throughout Saskatoon.

“I often see these scooters abandoned on somebody’s property, or in the middle of the street, or in a parking lot somewhere,” he said.

Other concerns and questions related to the possible length of a new contract with the e-scooter companies, whether they could be revisited should new safety or other technologies be introduced, and when private e-scooters would be allowed on city streets.

Magus said while Regina currently allows the use of both shared and private e-scooters, that’s still some time away for Saskatoon.

“We want to take a little more measured approach, so we’ve committed… to bringing a report in a few months specific to private e-scooters on the streets of Saskatoon, with a recommendation for city council to consider,” he said.

Block said that while there are still many worries about e-scooters in general, council should consider keeping them around.

“It would appear that this is the way of the future and something that we should be considering moving forward with, with great caution,” she said.

The committee forwarded the matter to the next Saskatoon city council meeting – which is expected to take place on January 29 – for a final decision.