Image Credit: Neuron
December 14, 2021 - 1:01 PM
A rental fleet of e-bikes will hit Vernon's streets next year.
Neuron, the company behind Vernon's e-scooter program will be introducing e-bikes in summer 2022, making it one of the first cities in Canada to have both modes of rental transport.
Neuron spokesperson Isaac Ransom announced the e-bike rollout at the City's council meeting Dec. 13.
Statistics released by the company show e-scooter riders travelled 161,000 kilometres in Vernon since the pilot project was launched July 29. The company said 40 per cent of trips replaced a vehicle, and 93 per cent of users said the E-Scooters were creating a positive impact in the city.
More than half of all trips by e-scooter, 53 per cent, were used for commuting.
The initial rollout saw 250 e-scooters hit the streets of Vernon and extra demand meant a further 100 e-scooters were added to the fleet.
Neuron said next year as many 500 e-scooters could be available for use, although the company foresees the introduction of e-bikes taking away from some scooter use.
The company also lowered the riding age to 16 years old from 18 years old and say that 10 per cent of riders are between the age of 16 to 18 years old.
The company also expanded the area of the city where the e-scooters can be used, covering much of East Hill and a large area near Bella Vista Road.
Many of the questions from councillors focused on the safety of the e-scooters.
"The injury rate is very very low," Ransom told the meeting.
The industry rate is 0.02 injuries per 100,000 kilometres, he told the meeting.
The company also introduced slow zones in some areas of Vernon. The technology in the e-scooters automatically locates where they are being ridden and limits their speed in the slow zones.
The e-scooters cost $1.15 plus 35 cents per minute. Three-day, weekly, and monthly passes are also available at a discount.
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