Active riders support extending e-scooter program in Leduc
Findings from Leduc's two-year e-scooter pilot showed residents who used e-scooters in the community have a strong appetite for this environmentally friendly mode of transportation to continue in the city.
Results of the pilot were presented during Monday evening's meeting of Leduc City Council and showed that e-scooter usage climbed to more than 20,000 rides in 2023, with 95 per cent of riders classified as repeat users.
Monday evening’s presentation to council was made jointly by BIRD Canada and representatives from City Administration. As part of the pilot project, BIRD provided 100 e-scooters which were available to Leduc residents throughout the summer and early fall of 2022 and 2023. Public input was collected following each year of the pilot, and feedback gathered in 2022 resulted in e-scooters' maximum speed increasing from 15km/hr to 20km/hr for the pilot’s second year.
The City’s 2023 post-pilot survey showed overwhelming support from respondents who rode the e-scooters last year, with 85 per cent indicating that they wanted to extend the program. Just under half of the survey's overall respondents were in favour of the e-scooter program extending into the future.
Some of the comments made by respondents indicated that they were looking for more affordable options and better monitoring of parking.
Leduc City Council will deliberate next steps for e-scooters in the city when Administration brings their recommendations during the upcoming council meeting on Jan. 22.
Quick facts from the pilot program survey:
- 526 survey responses
- Total rides: 20,080
- Active and unique users: 1,000 and 4,000
- Ride per active user/month: 3.5
- Age range of users: 83.6% of users between 20-54
- Average ride duration was 15 to 20 minutes
- 95% of riders are repeat users
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Purpose of using e-scooters (all that apply):
- Commuting to work/school: 29.5%
- Leisure, entertainment: 82.9%
- Appointments or errands: 22.4%
- Connecting to public transit: 14.6%
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Overall impact BIRD has had on Leduc (1-5):
- Somewhat positive (3): 31.7%
- Positive (4): 31.9%
- Extremely positive impact (5): 31.2%
- (3-5 rating): 94.8%
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