2-hour, 28 km scooter ride the longest in Ottawa this summer

A young woman rides a scooter over a bridge in Ottawa. Leading e-scooter operator, Neuron Mobility, will be launching the 2023 riding season and returning its vehicles to Ottawa’s streets. (Neuron Mobility)

A two-hour tour of Canada’s capital was the longest ride on an e-scooter in Ottawa over the summer.

Neuron Mobility is providing statistics on e-scooter use on Ottawa roads over the summer as part of the City of Ottawa’s plan to allow the two-wheeled electric scooters to operate in the city.

Riders clocked over 220,000 kilometres on the Neuron e-scooters available to rent across several neighbourhoods in Ottawa over the spring, summer and fall.

The longest single trip on a Neuron e-scooter was 28 kilometres.

“The rider explored the city with a ride lasting 127-minutes,” Neuron said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

Neuron Mobility charges $1.15 to unlock an e-scooter and $0.42 a minute to use, meaning the 127 minute trip would have cost approximately $55.

Neuron says more than nine out of 10 people said e-scooters had a “positive impact” on Ottawa, improving mobility, air quality and reducing congestion.

“Neuron’s e-scooters are helping people get around Ottawa quickly and sustainably, while also supporting local businesses and reducing congestion,” Ankush Karwal, general manager of Neuron Mobility Canada, said in a statement.

“We’re thrilled to see such strong usage this season, and we thank our loyal riders and the transport team at City Hall for their support.”

The City of Ottawa partnered with Bird Canada and Neuron Mobility to rent e-scooters to the public after council voted to allow electric scooters to continue to be used on Ottawa roads for another five years.

The rules for e-scooters include:

• E-scooter were available 24 hours a day, with some restrictions (such as the ByWard Market). In 2024, the shared e-scooter operating hours were 5 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• The fleet size was 1,000 e-scooters
• Riders must be 16 years or older.
• E-scooters can operate on the City of Ottawa’s multiuse pathways, cycling facilities, and roads with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour or lower.
• E-scooters are not allowed to operate on National Capital Commission pathways
• Maximum operating speed in Ottawa is 20 kilometres per hour.
• E-scooters cannot operate on sidewalks or in transit stations.