With more Canadian cities and provinces adding or expanding their e-bike and e-scooter fleets, Electric Autonomy highlights spots to hop on (and off) this summer

As the weather warms, electric bikes and e-scooters programs are once again rolling out across Canada, offering people a sustainable and efficient way to navigate city streets or explore off-the-beaten-tracks.

Even better, the appeal of electric-powered, two-wheel transportation for commuting and recreation appears to be growing, as more Canadian cities are launching or expanding bike and scooter ride-share programs.

To help readers take stock, Electric Autonomy presents a summer 2024 guide to electric micro-mobility in Canada.

Doubling down on electric scooters

Our survey starts in Quebec, where, this month, the city of Laval announced it is doubling the size of the fleet of Lime electric scooters that it hosts. The fleet of scooters for rent is growing to 200 this year from 100 last year.

“We saw last year the potential for micro-mobility to connect people with Laval Société de Transport, alleviate congestion, reduce emissions, and support the economy by helping people visit the city’s restaurants and cultural attractions,” said Sonia Kandola, director of government relations for Lime, in a press statement.

“As we return this year we will continue to emphasize safe riding and proper parking as we know that is the key to success in Laval.”

Last year, over 1,600 riders took nearly 3,000 trips in Laval.

In other parts of the province, Quebec City’s àVélo bike-sharing service, run by the city’s transit authority, the Réseau de transport de la Capitale (RTC), is expanding its fleet of electric bikes by 60 per cent, to 1,300 bicycles from 520 last year, available at 115 stations this year.

Earlier this month, the city also revealed plans to add nearly 500 e-bikes each year until 2028, aiming for a total of 3,300.

Montreal currently has the largest fleet of electric bikes in Canada and one of the largest in North America through its Bixi bike-sharing network. This year, Bixi’s fleet will increase to 2,620 electric bikes, spread across 934 stations in eight cities: Montreal, Laval, Longueuil, Boucherville, Terrebonne, Westmount, Ville de Mont-Royal, and Montréal-Est.

Successful pilot renewed

In B.C., e-scooter deployment is being driven by a B.C. government pilot. From 2021 to 2024, it ran the first phase of the e-scooter pilot project to gather health and safety data and to test how e-scooters fit into the provincial transportation network.

The project was renewed last month for an additional four-year term, with 20 cities adding new e-scooters. These cities are Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Langford, North Vancouver, Penticton, Richmond, Vancouver, Vernon, Victoria, District of Central Saanich, District of Saanich, District of North Vancouver, District of Oak Bay, Town of Oliver, Town of Osoyoos, Town of Sidney, Town of View Royal, and Township of Esquimalt.

The province plans to use the results of these pilot projects to decide if and how electric kick scooters should be authorized for permanent use.

Lime, one of the electric scooters providers in the B.C. pilot, also offers shared electric bikes in Kelowna, Richmond, Coquitlam and North Vancouver.

In Surrey, Bird Canada started servicing a fleet of e-bikes last month as part of a pilot project. The city will gradually introduce 300 electric bikes within the next two years. Meanwhile, Courtenay and Comox launched a new e-bike sharing program pilot this month, with a total of 40 e-bikes.

Other options across Canada

As with most things EV, Quebec and B.C. are at the head of the pack. However, when it comes to e-bikes and e-scooters, there’s lots of options in lots of other places. These include:

• Bird Canada is providing 300 new e-scooters and 200 e-bikes to Lethbridge, Alta., this year. Bird also operates across Alberta in St. Albert, Leduc, Spruce Grove and Edmonton.
• In Edmonton, Lime has shared electric bike or scooter programs
• Mississauga is partnering with Lime and Bird Canada to launch its first shared system of e-bikes and e-scooters this summer. Up to 300 e-bikes and 900 electric kick-style scooters will be available across the city under a three-year contract.
• Elsewhere in Ontario, Bird Canada operates in Brampton, Hamilton, Oshawa, Windsor, Tecumseh, Ajax and Ottawa, where Neuron Mobility Canada — another micro-mobility provider — also runs a fleet of e-scooters.
• In Charlottetown, local company Epic Electric Scooters provides short-term e-scooter rentals.

Purchase incentives for buyers

Of course, renting an electric bike or scooter doesn’t fit everyone’s lifestyle. For some, buying an e-bike or e-scooter is the way to go.

Last year, Electric Autonomy compiled a list of provincial rebate programs available across Canada.

Since then there have been a new addition:

• B.C. E-Bike Rebate Program: Rebates are based on a person’s income and range from $350 to $1,400. To be eligible, the e-bike must cost more than $2,000 before taxes and be purchased from a participating e-bike retailer.

To date, the key players in the Canadian e-bikes market include Daymak, Magnum Bikes, Biktrix, Rad Power Bikes, Surface 604, Volt Bike, Pedego, Ohm Cycles, Aventon and Argon 18.

For e-scooters, brands such as Segway Ninebot, Kugoo, Inmotion, Niu Canada, and Blutron offer a variety of models to Canadian consumers.