With the rise of global and local electric scooter sharing companies, renting scooters by-the-minute has never been more accessible in today’s major cities. However, as with all short term rentals, there is a price premium. In this article we search for the tipping point - how much do you have to use Lime or Bird scooters before it makes more sense to own a scooter instead.
Lime has launched in three Canadian cities so far, (Calgary, Edmonton, and Montreal) bringing electric scooter sharing to roughly 4 million Canadians. While this is still a long way from making electric scooters the main mode of transportation, we are slowly starting to notice the transition. Electric scooters are no longer just a tourist attraction or a means of getting home from the bar when no taxis are available (for the record, we do not recommend using scooters under the influence of alcohol) - for an increasing number of Canadians, they are becoming an alternative mode of transportation. This includes daily commutes to work or school, as well as the in-between moments, when driving a car isn’t quite worth it, but walking would take too long. This phenomenon is further supported by regulatory changes, which show a lot of promise. You can get the latest updates on electric scooter laws here.