Scooters will return to Red Deer this year for the final pilot season, and following the season Council will consider their future in Red Deer.
The open market option that was approved as part of the pilot means there are no caps on the number of businesses that can apply to the program, or the number of e-scooters the businesses can bring into the pilot. This allows for the market in Red Deer to determine the demand.
Email completed form and required documentation to inspections@reddeer.ca
If you have difficulty downloading the documents or have any other inquiries related to the e-scooter pilot program, please contact inspections@reddeer.ca or call 403-342-8182.
Applications will be accepted throughout the pilot program.
Visit www.rideneuron.com for information on how to ride, and download their app today.
Visit www.birdcanada.ca for information on how to ride, and download their app today.
Electric scooters (e-scooters) are a motor vehicle that are capable of being propelled by muscular power, but may be propelled by one or more electric motors. They have steering handle bars and consist of a footboard mount on two or three wheels.
Similar to car and bike sharing technology, shared e-scooters will be GPS-enabled and can be rented using each company's smartphone app. A shared e-scooter can be parked in a designated drop zone that is not impeding pedestrian traffic. It is then available for the next customer, who will be able to locate it and begin the rental using an application on their phone.
E-scooters will be allowed on sidewalks and paved trails within Red Deer, not on the roadways or bike lanes. E-scooters will also not be permitted at City Hall Park, skate parks, on City buses, inside the Sorensen Station Transit terminal or outside City limits. As a rule, please do not interfere with pedestrians or traffic while riding a shared e-scooter.
The e-scooter companies all have varying areas of allowed travel within the city. That changes depending on demand, and the number of e-scooters each company has available at that time. Keep an eye on each companies app for their most current ride areas, as they do get updated often. If you want to request they expand their area to your neighbourhood, please contact the e-scooter company directly, as they are very responsive to customer demand.
To ride an e-scooter in Red Deer you must be 16 years of age or older. A child or any other person cannot be a passenger on a shared e-scooter. They are intended for one rider.
Helmets are not required, but are strongly encouraged.
The max speed limit is 20 km per hour with some higher traffic areas reduced to 5-10 km per hour.
When using an e-scooter, riders are asked to respect pedestrians and those moving slower than you, use your bell to alert those you are approaching, don’t zig zag between pedestrians, and be cautious of those coming out of store fronts.
Yes, as with bicycles, e-scooters will be equipped with a working bell or horn to alert pedestrians before they are overtaken and lights on the front and back that come on automatically when in use.
Permitted operators are responsible for parking issues, maintenance and the removal and relocation of their fleet. Please contact the permitted operator directly.
| Company name | Scooter Colour | Contact info | |
| Bird Canada | Black and white | hello@bird.co | 1-866-205-2442 |
| Neuron Canada Inc. | Orange | reddeersupport@neuron.sg | 587-570-4003 |
For any other concerns, residents can use the Report a Problem tool.
Contact the appropriate e-scooter business directly to report an improperly parked or derelict e-scooter. Licensed businesses are required to report parking issues, known collisions, accidents, or injuries, and complaints regarding the vehicles to The City.
No, you can leave the vehicle in a location that is convenient for you provided you park it properly following the guidelines provided by the vendor and highlighted on this webpage. Businesses will have GPS tracking devices in their vehicles so they can locate, collect and redistribute their vehicles as needed.
All e-scooters have an internal electronic lock that can only be unlocked using the businesses’ mobile app. They are not physically locked to a bike rack or enclosed in a cage. Each business will have their own unlocking and payment system
Operating a shared e-scooter, while you are impaired by alcohol, drugs or combination of the two, is a punishable offence to the full extent of the Canadian Law. Users are encouraged to review the full terms and conditions of use provided by each permitted e-scooter operator.
Data from other North America cities have demonstrated a wide range of benefits of shared e-scooter programs including encouraging people to walk, cycle and take public transit more often, saving time on short trips, providing access to various transportation options for all demographics and improving people's physical health by providing transportation options that encourage citizens to be more physically active.
E-scooters on roadways and sidewalks are regulated under the Alberta Traffic Safety Act. E-scooters are not allowed on roadways or sidewalks without a provincial exemption. Currently, shared e-scooters are granted a provincial exemption as the speeds and locations of operation are regulated, and each e-scooter operator company is required to have insurance to hold a permit, and other requirements. At this time, provincial exemption are not granted to individual users.
E-Scooters can be parked on city sidewalks, in City parks and adjacent pathways, subject to all Federal, Provincial and City Legislation. All parked e-scooters must remain in an upright position with all wheels in contact with the ground.
E-Scooters will be parked in a Furniture Zone and must not be parked in a way that does not obstruct or interfere with the Sidewalk Zone or Edge Zone at any time.
In the absence of a Furniture Zone, e-scooters must not be parked in a way that impedes pedestrians moving through the Sidewalk Zone to access any buildings. E-scooters must be parked next to the edge zone leaving at least 2.0 metres of sidewalk zone unobstructed for pedestrian movements. E-scooters must not be parked where these minimum distance requirements cannot be met, and parked in the upright, standing position, with all wheels in contact with the ground.
Download the parking zone diagrams (pdf)
Scooters can not be parked on the street and can not be parked in a way that impedes vehicular traffic from moving on the roadway or accessing driveways and must not be parked in the Driving zone at any time. E-scooters must not be parked on a pathway or within 1.0 metre of either side of a pathway.
E-Scooters can not be parked in locations within or on:
All e-scooter riders are encouraged to follow the safety regulations outlined by The City, and each e-scooter company including having only one rider at a time on the e-scooter (no doubling adults or children), all riders must be over 16 and no impaired riding. Users are encouraged to review the full terms and conditions of use provided by each permitted e-scooter operator.
The pilot ran through the summer of 2021, and will return the summer of 2022 and 2023 and will then be evaluated for long term use in Red Deer by Red Deer City Council.
The City of Red Deer acts a partner with the e-scooter companies that are approved to operate within The City through a provincial exemption for e-scooter operations. The City is running the pilot program to find out if this is a program residents would like and use, and the e-scooter companies are piloting our city as well, to test our market demand and viability. City Council also approved some one-time funding of $15,000 to assist in communication and education initiatives to ensure Red Deerians were able to access the information they need, and learn the rules and safety restrictions in place around using e-scooters.