Blackfalds mayor questions how age limit on e-scooters enforced
More than 5,000 trips were taken on Blackfalds e-scooters in its debut season, says the provider.
Neuron Mobility logged 5,333 trips taken and 1,050 Blackfalds since service began May 15. Average e-scooter trips were 2.5 kilometres and lasted about 15 minutes.
The company also broke down ridership into age groups in a report that went to town council on Tuesday. The biggest ridership came from 35 to 44-year-olds at 41.7 per cent. Those 18 to 24 years old accounted for 20.8 per cent of trips, 16.7 per cent for the 25-34 age group, 8.3 per cent for the 45-54 group and 12.5 per cent for 16- to 17-year-olds. Among riders, 54.2 per cent were male, 37.5 per cent female and 8.3 per cent preferred not to say.
Mayor Jamie Hoover was a little skeptical of the age data, noting he has seen plenty of riders younger than 16, the minimum age for riding the scooters in Blackfalds.
“I can tell you from what I saw, I think there was a lot of underage ridership that wasn’t noted. I don’t know how they enforce that or how they track it.
“Probably there are underage riders who use their parents’ or an adult’s account to ride it. Sometimes, it’s a little concerning to see the little ones on there that you know are far too young to be riding that.”
Hoover suggested that if Neuron plans to return in the spring, they should be questioned on how they intend to police underage riding.
“That would be something I would hope we could get information on.”
The mayor was not the only one on council who would like to get more information from Neuron.
Coun. Marina Appel questioned some of Neuron’s economic impact numbers. The company estimated $7,096 was spent at local businesses for each e-scooter deployed, for a total spending in town of $213,000 last season. More than half – 54 per cent – of e-scooter trips led to a purchase from a local business with 54 per cent of riders spending more than $10 during their most recent trip.
A quarter of trips would not have happened if an e-scooter was not available, says the company, which estimated 853 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions were averted by e-scooter use.
Appel asked town staff what data Neuron had to back up its economic impact claims. “Without the data to back it up, it worried me,” she added.
Town administration said they would contact Neuron to get more information on how they compiled their estimates.
Neuron’s website says it operates in 14 Canadian communities, including Lacombe, Blackfalds, Sylvan Lake and Red Deer in central Alberta, and three communities in Waterloo region in Ontario.