Those hoping to hop on an e-scooter in Hespeler or Preston are going to have to wait.
Neuron Mobility, the company responsible for rolling out 500 e-scooters and e-bikes in the region, released its rider data last week along with a handful of expanded riding areas.
Since the program's launch on April 15, over 225,000 kilometres have been travelled on the scooters and e-bikes throughout Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge. The average ride has been 2.5 kilometres and lasted 17 minutes.
In an attempt to expand the program, e-scooters are now available at the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, Conestoga College in Waterloo and Belmont Village in Kitchener.
No new Cambridge locations were mentioned.
When reached for comment about the potential to expand the program to Hespeler and Preston after the initial pilot was run in Galt, CambridgeToday was informed “at this time, we don’t have Cambridge-specific data or any info on expanded riding areas.”
According to Julie Belanger, the principal planner for transit for the Region of Waterloo, over 6,500 trips have been made in Cambridge to date.
“We hope to see uptake continue to grow as the program continues,” Belanger said.
“People choose to use shared e-bike and e-scooter services for a faster and more flexible way to travel, for fun and to save money. There are also broader environmental benefits, such as reducing car trips and less need for parking.”
Belanger says the program is aiding the region in reaching its active transportation and climate action goals, while providing a valuable service to the community.
Neuron’s data indicates, on average, 45 per cent of all trips on one of its e-scooters or bikes in Canada replaces a car journey, which reduces congestion and improves air quality.
A recent Shared Rides, Shared Wealth report also mentions significant economic benefits in the locations the vehicles are available.
The report showed seven in 10 Neuron e-scooter trips in the country result in a purchase at a local business, generating $11,300 for the local economy each year.
While there’s no immediate plans to expand in Cambridge, Belanger says data and feedback will continue to be collected to improve the program.
“Neuron and the region will be conducting surveys to get input on the first year of service,” she said.
“We hope to get a better understanding of how to improve the program this winter so it will be even more successful in future years. We’re working towards having the program be available to more people in Waterloo Region by expanding the service area and looking for ways to make the program more accessible and equitable.”
Ward 2 councillor Mike Devine believes it was the right decision to pilot the program in one part of the city before committing to expanding it and holds no animosity toward Galt being selected as the location.
“It’s best to put a pilot project in a given area first,” Devine said.
“From what I can see, it’s been working very well in Galt. You have to start somewhere and where we started it was smart. It’s something were going to have to deal with eventually.”
