Image Credit: Segway.com
July 02, 2019 - 6:30 PM
KELOWNA - There are now three e-scooter companies with permits to operate their rental services in Kelowna.
Spin, out of San Franciso, was the first to obtain a permit but OGO may be the first to get their scooters on the road, although they didn’t make their July 1 hoped-for launch date.
“We had a bit of a delay getting the equipment up here across the border, what with different holidays between the U.S. and Canada,” co-owner Chris Szydloski told iNFOnews.ca today, July 2.
They’re now hoping to launch with 60 electric scooters by July 13.
They are similar to push scooters and will be rented from key downtown locations. While they have top speeds of up to 45 km/hr they will be regulated by geographic area so will go very slowly in congested areas and up to about 25 km/hr in less congested areas.
“Our key focus is safety and to make sure we bring electric green vehicles to our city without chaos and without conflict,” Szydloski said.
He’s in partnership with Kyle Leduc and has run Canada West Segway out of Kelowna for 14 years. Szydloski has trained police officers on their use in places like Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary.
Logistics and pricing are still being worked out but the scooters will likely rent for about $1 per hour. While they can be dropped anywhere, Leduc said there will be a rewards program that gives points for returning the scooters to designated locations.
Spin was given a permit for 400 scooters. Spokesman Josh Gray told iNFOnews.ca today that they don't yet have a firm launch date.
"We're trying to figure out some of our app compliance with Canada," he said. He also wants to make sure he's following all of the City of Kelowna's rules.
Zip Dockless Inc. out of Waterloo, Ontario has a permit for 25 e-scooters.
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News from © iNFOnews, 2019