E-scooters will be back in Kelowna this summer

The City of Kelowna has confirmed that its e-scooter rental program will resume this summer. It’s just not clear when that will happen or where they’ll be able to go.

“Yes, that’s the intention,” Matt Worona, the City’s active transportation coordinator said when asked by iNFOnews.ca if the e-scooters will be available to rent this summer.

A number of companies launched rental programs last summer. Those ran into the late fall but the City put the program on hold due to the COVID-19 outbreak. It has not yet been decided exactly when to resume the program, Worona said, mainly because City staff have been busy dealing with other matters.

He’s also waiting to hear from the province on whether it will approve his application for a pilot program to allow the scooters on streets. Currently they are 'geo-fenced' so they can only be operated on a pathway along the waterfront and on the Okanagan Rail Trail.

He expects an answer from the province in June but resuming the rental program is not contingent on the province’s decision.

There were five companies licensed to rent up to a total of 760 scooters in Kelowna last year. The largest, Spin with 400, did not operate. OGO, ZIP, Bunny and Roll did provide rentals.

OGO, which was the first to launch its rental business on July 12, asked that its licence be cancelled, Worona said. He would not say why but did say the request was made before the COVID-19 pandemic.

One other company, Loop, is licensed to rent up to 25 mopeds. Roll had also expected to have 25 e-bikes for rental.

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