A Bunny scooter outside of the Kelowna Tourist Information Centre.
Image Credit: bunnyscooters.com
October 26, 2021 - 7:00 AM
A Vancouver-based e-scooter rental company is suing the City of Kelowna, alleging the city revoked its license without "justifiable grounds."
Bunny Ride Transportation Inc. said it began taking steps to operate e-scooters in the city around 1999, according to a civil suit filed Sept. 23.
In July 2019, the company then contacted the city to enquire about permits or approvals. It alleges Matthew Worona, Kelowna's mobility specialist, told the company on multiple occasions throughout 2019, 2020 and 2021 it would be permitted to operate in Kelowna.
The city granted Bunny Ride Transportation, also called Bunny Business, a business license in July 2019 which continued until early 2020 when operations were temporarily suspended due to the pandemic, according to court documents.
Then in August 2020, the e-scooter company submitted a permit application to be approved to relaunch.
“To ensure the permit matched the relaunch of the Bunny Business, later in August 2020, Mr. Worona suggested the permit not be issued until one week before the re-launch date," the company said.
However, on April 23, 2021, the company received an email from Kelowna stating, among other things, that it would not be permitted to operate the Bunny Business in the city at that time or in the future, according to the court documents.
“No commercially justifiable grounds existed for revoking the (company’s) permission to operate the Bunny Business in the City of Kelowna. Further, competitors to (the e-scooter company) were permitted to continue to operate despite complaints and issues similar to those cited by Kelowna regarding the (company’s) operations,” the company claims.
Kelowna city council ordered a staff review of the e-scooter program shortly after the program’s launch on April 19, after receiving numerous complaints about the program. Council implemented a number of new measures for the e-scooters in June.
READ MORE: Kelowna’s e-scooter program could screech to a halt next week
The company claims it is entitled to "compensation for all loss and damage flowing from its reasonable reliance on the misrepresentations.”
The city has not yet issued a response to the lawsuit.
City of Kelowna spokesperson Tom Wilson said it has not been served with any legal filings from Bunny Ride, so he couldn't comment.
READ MORE: New rules cut Kelowna e-scooter program by more than half
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