Montreal issues permit for app-activated electric scooters

BIXIS and Uber’s JUMP bikes are about to get a little bit of competition on the island as the City of Montreal has issued a permit for Lime — a brand of battery-powered, app-activated scooters.

Lime will deploy its fleet of scooters in the boroughs of Ville-Marie, Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, and the City of Westmount.

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A total of 239 parking zones will be set up in the participating boroughs as the electric scooters don’t use docking stations like BIXI Bikes.

The parking zones, a response to other city’s problems where the scoots are often left on the side of the road or in parks, will be identified by a box painted with Lime’s logo. The stash zones will be found close to intersections and the city’s bike paths.

“With the City of Montreal recently issuing Lime a permit to operate an electric scooter share, we are excited to bring a new safe, environmentally sustainable, and convenient transportation option to residents and visitors of Montreal,” says Michael Markevich, Lime GM for Eastern Canada. “Lime’s operations will initially cover the Boroughs of Ville-Marie, Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grace, Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, and the City of Westmount. We will have more to share soon on when Montrealers can ride a Lime electric scooter.”

Lime/Facebook

The e-scooters will be accessible through the Lime app and users must snap a picture at the end of a ride to demonstrate it’s been parked in an authorized spot. Four Lime scooters at a time will be allowed inside one parking zone.

Riders will be required to wear a helmet, be 18-years-old and older, and will need a driver’s license or a learner’s permit to be able to rent the little scooters, which top out at 20 km/h.

The battery-powered scooters will be prohibited on sidewalks and on roads that exceed 50 km/h speed limits.

Users will also be required to take a short online training and road rules course before they can activate their first ride.

Lime.com

We’ll keep you posted as to when exactly the Lime scooters are expected to launch in Montreal.