The Town of Tecumseh is looking to start an E-Scooter Pilot Program.
The report going to council Tuesday night asks for approval of the program that would run from May 19 until September 30, with services provided by Bird Canada.
Tecumseh staff are recommending that 30 e-scooters be provided for use during the program.
If approved, riders would be bound by the riverfront pathway to the north, Brighton Road to the east, Tecumseh Road to the south and a seamless boundary so riders can use the e-scooters in both Tecumseh and Windsor.
Riders would bound to by the riverfront pathway to the north, Brighton Road to the east, Tecumseh Road to the south. April 24, 2023 (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Town of Tecumseh)
In 2023, the City of Windsor entered into an agreement with Bird Canada to provide e-scooters and e-bikes throughout Windsor, up to the shared boundaries at Tecumseh.
The pilot program would come at no cost to the Town. Bird Canada would be responsible for providing education to customers on how to properly ride the e-scooters, as well as maintain all devices by conducting daily inspections.
Gary McNamara, Mayor of Tecumseh, says the e-scooters have a GPS on them to ensure riders are staying in the outlined areas.
"And they're maintained and controlled within a certain sector so that they don't end up in another municipality or other areas that the units could be lost."
He says the beauty of having a pilot program is that the responsibility falls on the company for the Town to see how it's handled.
"We certainly want to gauge ourselves to see if there's certain value of having that type of active transportation in the municipality and what a better way of doing it through a pilot that certainly the company takes the responsibility of providing and maintaining the equipment."
McNamara says he's hoping to see success in the new amenity provided.
"We're excited about the fact that it's something new and something that can certainly benefit, in particular, tourism. Folks can explore those beautiful parks that we have throughout our community, in particular in the North Shore."
Following the pilot program, administration will look into expanding into e-bikes as part of the pilot program assessment in October 2023.
Council will meet Tuesday at 7 p.m..