Shared electric bikes, scooters arrive in Halifax

Hundreds of electric scooters and bicycles can now be found across Halifax, a move some are hopeful will decrease congestion and improve safety for all micromobility users.

The Halifax Regional Municipality on Thursday officially launched its micromobility pilot program, delivered by Bird Canada.

The company is starting with about 300 bikes and 300 scooters, but those numbers could grow depending upon demand.

The bikes and scooters can only be picked up and dropped off in specially designated stations. Each device has an attached helmet, or people can use their own.  

"I think it's a great idea. I hope that it will give people an opportunity to … realize that getting around, especially the peninsula, is so much easier with a bike than with a car at rush hour," Maxime Gauvin said Wednesday at a Bird demonstration outside Halifax city hall.

Gauvin, who has his own e-bike, said he looks forward to seeing more people cycling around the municipality because there's "safety in numbers."

"The more people ride bikes … the more regular drivers will get used to the presence of bikes on the roadway, pay more attention and be more careful when they're driving around. So I think it's going to be a win-win for everybody and especially it's going to help reduce congestion," Gauvin said.

The bikes and scooters are available throughout Halifax, Dartmouth, Fairview, Spryfield, Westphal and Woodside, with plans to expand in the next phase to areas like Burnside, Bedford and Sackville. 

Riders can download the Bird app to find a scooter or bike in their area, input payment information and decide how much time they want to buy for their ride.

The United Way is a partner in the program. People living in "flex-fare zones" on the service map can register with the United Way in their neighbourhood to get a 50 per cent discount on the bikes and scooters.

Any low-income residents, veterans, seniors, newcomers and non-profit employees can also register with the charity as part of their community pricing program to get the discount.

"Bird's being an amazing community partner and know that accessibility for everybody is important and they want to be accessible to everybody," said Sue Lapierre, senior executive director for mainland Nova Scotia for the United Way Maritimes.

The municipality's website says the devices are not allowed on Halifax Transit buses or ferries.

Scooters are treated like bicycles under the Motor Vehicle Act and must travel in bike lanes or the roadway. Riding on sidewalks is already illegal for both bikes and scooters, although enforcement is difficult.

The Bird devices have technology that will bring them to a stop in some "no ride zones" like the MacKay Bridge, or restrict their speed to 15 kilometres an hour in "slow ride zones" with lots of pedestrians.

Bird has also said their scooters can detect when people ride on the sidewalk. The company's website says riders travelling on a sidewalk receive an "audible alert and mobile notification" before the device is brought gradually to a stop.

Stewart Lyons, Bird Canada CEO, said Halifax marks the 28th Canadian city for the company's program and its first in the Atlantic region. They are found in Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. 

"We do millions of rides every year across the country. We save thousands and thousands of car trips, which is really what this is all about is sustainable transportation," Lyons said.

The pilot program will run for two years. The municipality has budgeted between $387,000 and $590,000 for this fiscal year, but staff have said they hope to offset some costs through rider fees and fines for improper behaviour such as abandoning a vehicle outside a designated station.