‘It blew up overnight’: Electric scooter rentals zoom into Moncton

Electric scooter rentals offer a new mode of transportation in Moncton.

Greater Moncton is experiencing a surge in micro-mobility with the arrival of Move Scooter Rentals, a Halifax-based company that has quickly become a popular option for getting around the city.

“It blew up overnight,” said owner Steven MacArthur. “We’ve had 400 to 500 rides every single day. We’re excited to be here in Moncton, and the city loves it. There’s 140 on the streets, and we’re going to be launching another 100, we’ll be around 240, 250 scooters on the streets. And we plan on getting more soon.”

The service is straightforward: download the app, add payment information and unlock a nearby scooter. These electric scooters offer a range of two to three hours of use, with some models capable of travelling up to 90 kilometres on a single charge.

“There is no target demographic,” MacArthur said. “Everybody uses them pretty much between the age of 15 and 55. It can be, you know, a businessman trying to get to work. Or it could be a couple of teenagers at the university just going to have fun.

“You can rent it for, you know, five minutes, or you can rent it for two hours, however long the battery will last. For example, 12 bucks or 15 bucks, you get a bonus for adding money and a bonus for parking in certain spots. At the end of your ride, you park it safely off of sidewalks and roadways, take a quick picture of where you park it. It’s called a park-approved photo, which will allow you to then end your ride and go about your day.”

Move Scooter Rentals relocated from Halifax due to a new bylaw. While currently operating in what MacArthur considers the off-season (June 1 to Oct. 31 is peak season), they’re already seeing impressive usage.

“I think it has a lot to do with the layout of the city. People are using them more for travel. We’re getting more 13-kilometre average rides instead of six-kilometre average rides in Halifax,” he said.

Patrick Richard, executive director of Downtown Moncton, welcomes the scooters but acknowledges some concerns.

“I think for the most part, they’re happy that people are going to be getting around the downtown,” Richard said. “There are some concerns that I would tend to agree with them about how they’re kind of chaotically spread out throughout the downtown; they’re not necessarily in one central area.

“I saw a lot of people after shows taking them from the Avenir, going to restaurants or getting across to St. George Street to go to a bar after hours, so that all of that is really exciting.”

MacArthur said his team is actively addressing concerns about scooter placement.

“We’re just dealing with parking zones, working with businesses and people that don’t want them parked there,” he said. “And every time they send us an email, we respond right away or move the scooter.”

He also notes that theft is unlikely due to the scooters’ GPS tracking.

“You get the odd person that thinks it’s a good idea, but in the end, it’s like stealing a cellphone,” MacArthur said. “It just gets blacklisted. There’s no way for the person to turn it on other than be connected to our app. So honestly? No point.”

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.