E-scooters can be rented again as city launches 2025 season in Mississauga

Mississauga will launch the second season of its e-scooter and e-bike rental program on Friday complete with the addition of more than 100 new parking stations to help provide “a more orderly and controlled approach to parking,” city officials say.

The extra parking locations are also expected to “help keep regular public bike racks available for personal devices” as the City of Mississauga looks to eliminate several major problems associated with year one of the program in 2024.

Sam Rogers, the city’s transportation and works commissioner, said officials heard the public feedback and have responded.

“We’re continuing to adjust the program to improve it and make it run more smoothly. Installing new parking stations in dense areas will help address some of the concerns from last year,” he said in a news release on Thursday. “We’ll be able to keep the devices more organized while freeing up bike racks for personal devices. We’re also planning to offer more education to our residents and riders about safety, rules and parking. We’re committed to ensuring the program meets the needs of our residents and our users.”

Starting Friday, some 900 electric scooters and 300 electric bikes will again be available for people to rent and use at various places including parks, the downtown core and other neighbourhoods throughout the city.

The city initially hoped the scooters and bikes would’ve been available again for public rental in April as Mississauga kicks off year two of its e-scooter and e-bike program. However, the electric micromobility devices weren’t reintroduced as quickly as hoped as city officials worked to clean up the problems before putting them fully back in play for a follow-up season of daily rentals.

While a limited number of e-bikes have been available for rent throughout the winter and spring, the full complement of those devices and all the e-scooters aren’t being made available until May 16.

Despite the issues related to the program to date, city officials say the initiative has proven popular with residents so far and it “has experienced significant growth over the last year, becoming a preferred transportation option for many users across the city.”

(Photo: City of Mississauga)

The city adds the new parking stations are expected to significantly improve the program in 2025.

“The stations will either be marked with physical infrastructure or have markings or a rubber mat on the ground. They will help keep devices organized in high-demand areas including near GO train stations, city-owned transit terminals and express bus stops,” officials said. “There will also be more parking stations in densely populated areas of Mississauga including all five Business Improvement Areas (Clarkson, Malton, Streetsville, Port Credit and Cooksville), City Centre and Lakefront Promenade districts.”

All riders must end their trips and park their device at a designated parking area, city officials note.

“This can include parking stations or designated parking areas,” they said, adding more than 600 parking areas marked in Lime Technology, Inc. and Bird Canada’s apps, the city’s partners in the program, are available to help riders properly end their trip.

The city is also removing the requirement to lock devices to a pole, bike rack or signpost in order to maintain consistency when parking at a station or a designated parking area.

In addition to parking improvements, the city says it will also clamp down on people who violate the rules while using the rented e-scooters and e-bikes in year two.

Lime and Bird together issued 4,300 warnings last year for various types of rider violations, with the most common being improper parking and sidewalk riding.

In 2025, they’re doubling the fine amounts for rider violations as part of an enhanced compliance strategy. Repeat offenders will receive a $20 fine, with continued violations leading to potential account suspension.

For dangerous riding behaviours, such as carrying a passenger or underage riding, both service providers acknowledge a zero-tolerance policy toward these violations and will suspend user accounts upon receiving a report, the city said.

(Cover photo: City of Mississauga)