Shared e-scooter Pilot Program

City staff will review all feedback and data collected during the pilot, which will help inform future decisions around permanent options and operating guidelines for e-scooter rental programs.

Collision & Sidewalk Riding with an e-scooter:

• Contact Durham Region Police. 
• If the collision has resulted in a serious injury or death, call 911.
• Remember to include location of the collision (i.e., nearest intersection)

Improper Parking or any other issues related to Shared E-Scooter:

• BIRD Phone Number: 1.866.205.2442
• BIRD Email: hello@bird.co and 311_pickering@birdcanada.co
• In-app reporting

Any other issues related to Shared E-Scooter:

• Contact the City’s Customer Care at 905.683.7575 or customercare@pickering.ca

• This pilot offers a climate-friendly and cost-effective transportation option, while allowing the City to evaluate how shared micro-mobility can support local travel for short trips. 
• E-scooters help bridge the gap between transit stops and final destinations, making it easier to complete short trips without a car.
• Encourages a shift toward multi-modal, green transportation alongside walking, cycling, and public transit.
• Presents an affordable transportation option, especially for people who don’t own a car or want to avoid high fuel, parking, and maintenance costs.

The City currently has a partnership with Bird Canada Scooters Inc. to implement the pilot program. Bird will operate and maintain the program, including all capital and operating expenses, at no cost to the City.

Download the Bird Canada mobile app to view rates (individual rides and ride passes), e-scooter locations, and to get started on your trip.

Both shared and private e-scooters are required to follow local by-laws, including, the Region of Durham’s e-scooter by-law for regional roads.

City of Pickering BYL No. 7992/23 Highlights

• E-Scooters are permitted on roads only. They are not permitted on sidewalks, multi-use paths, in parks or on trails.
• E-Scooters are limited to roads with a speed limit of 60km/h or lower, unless there is a dedicated bicycle lane. Visit the City’s Cycling webpage to learn about the City’s cycling network.
• Riders must be 16 years of age or older. 
• Riders under 18 year of age must wear a helmet. It is mandatory. 
• No cargo can be carried on an e-scooter.
• No person operating an e-scooter shall carry any other person thereon.
• E-Scooters must have a bell or horn and be equipped with a white or amber lamp in front and red light on the rear.

Operational restrictions

• Unlike privately-owned e-scooters, the shared e-scooters will not work if ridden outside of the City’s boundary. 
• Unlike privately-owned e-scooters, the shared e-scooters will not go beyond the programmed speed limitations.

The shared e-scooter pilot program will run annually from April through the end of October (weather permitting), with daily hours of operation from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm. To ensure compliance, all e-scooters will be remotely deactivated at 10:45 pm each night, preventing any new trips from starting. Devices will remain inactive until service resumes at 6:00 am the following day.

These shared e-scooters shall have a maximum speed capped at 20 km/h with slow zones capped at 15 km/h. The location of the slow zones can be found on the Bird Canada mobile app, along with no-ride zones and dedicated parking locations.

Shared e-scooters must be parked in an upright position in a permitted parking location through the BIRD app and designated parking areas which are signed or delineated with a mat on the pavement. To find the parking areas, open the BIRD app and look for “P” symbol.

Do not park by blocking sidewalks, walkways, accesses, driveways and access to transit buses. You may park within a grassed boulevard where applicable.

Privately owned e-scooters must be parked in an upright position at any existing bicycle rack.

The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) launched a five-year pilot program (Provincial Pilot Project – Electric Kick Scooters – ON Reg. 389/19) to run from January 1, 2020, to November 27, 2029, to allow municipalities to choose where and how e-scooters may be used. The MTO outlined that it is up to municipalities to pass by-laws to permit the use of e-scooters locally and determine where they can and cannot operate. The City of Pickering enacted By-law No. 7992/23 which came into effect on February 27, 2023. 

• Read Report to Council ENG 15-25 for details on the shared e-scooter pilot program.
• View the City’s e-scooter by-law