Questions being answered regarding e-scooters in Saskatoon

It’s been two weeks since the initial launch of e-scooters in Saskatoon and there are still questions about them.

One concern is the safety of the scooters. Neuron has a bunch of features built into their app and scooters to help ensure the city’s bylaws are followed.

“There is an age verification process built into the app and those who are under 18 need consent from a parent or legal guardian,” said Isaac Ransom, Neuron’s head of corporate affairs.

“Because of our geofencing technology we are able to prevent riders from going more than a couple metres in areas where they aren’t supposed to be.”

Riders are also required to wear a helmet when using an e-scooter and Neuron does provide a helmet with every scooter.

However, some have started to worry about the hygiene of the helmets. Neuron has a full maintenance process that it does regularly on every scooter and helmet and that includes sanitization of helmets.

“As long as the helmet is in good condition, it will remain on the scooter and will receive regular sanitization with a disinfectant,” Ransom said.

One concern that drivers have when it comes to having e-scooters on the road is the insurance if an accident occurs with one of them.

“If you’re operating an e-scooter on the road and you are involved in a collision with a moving motor vehicle, you would get injury benefits under the Auto Fund,” said SGI spokesperson Tyler McMurchy.

However, if you’re injured on an e-scooter and a moving motor vehicle isn’t involved, you wouldn’t get any injury benefits.

“If you are operating an e-scooter and damage someone else’s property, you may not have insurance coverage,” said McMurchy.

If an e-scooter driver is at fault in a collision involving another vehicle, then the e-scooter operator would be responsible for that damage.

“If it’s a hit-and-run, the driver would put in an insurance claim, pay their deductible and have coverage that way assuming their vehicle was properly insured,” said McMurchy.

Under Saskatchewan law, e-scooters are now considered a limited-speed  motor vehicle that is allowed to operate on the road. That means a person can be charged with impaired driving if they are operating an e-scooter while under the influence.

Jay Magus, the City of Saskatoon’s director of transportation, was at city council to provide councillors with an update on e-scooters.

Magus said the city has received only 22 complaints in regards to e-scooters and half of those complaints were about abandoned scooters.

However, there were some challenges when the program first launched in Saskatoon.

“For the first couple days, the geofencing program wasn’t working properly and people were able to ride the scooters on sidewalks,” said Magus. “You would stop at a parking mat and you would not be able to end your ride.”

But these issues were fixed quickly.

The system would normally not allow a rider to end their ride if they were not parked on a parking mat and the rider would continue to be charged.