Fines doubled, parking spots added as e-scooters/e-bikes hit streets again in Mississauga

Riders who break the rules while using electric scooters and bicycles in Mississauga will see fines doubled as the city prepares to roll out year two of its new shared micromobility initiative in the next few weeks.

City of Mississauga officials say repeat offenders will now face a $20 fine “for common violations, with sidewalk riding and improper parking being the most frequently observed violations” during the program’s inaugural year in 2024.

Also new this year, senior city staff said in a report to be discussed at general committee next Wednesday, will be the installation of more than 100 dedicated parking stations and the creation of parking zones.

City officials are aiming to begin renting out the e-scooters and e-bikes once again in mid-April, a city spokesperson said.

Sidewalk riding and issues related to parking the e-scooters and e-bikes were chief among complaints during the program’s first year — complaints from residents, councillors and the mayor of Canada’s seventh-largest city.

Last December, Mayor Carolyn Parrish said publicly she wanted to scrap the city’s first shared micro-mobility program, which launched last June 21.

In a scathing rebuke, she described the program’s inaugural season as “chaotic, ugly” and resembling “some crazy experiment” that’s not working.

Upon its summer 2024 launch, the program made as many as 300 electric pedal-assist bicycles (e-bikes) and 900 electric kick-style scooters (e-scooters) available for people to rent and use at various places including parks, the downtown core and other neighbourhoods throughout the city.

Sam Rogers, Mississauga’s commissioner of transportation and works, says in a report the e-scooter/e-bike program will see a number of key improvements in 2025.

The scooter/bike initiative encountered some major growing pains as detailed by several city councillors at a meeting last September.

During the first few months of the program, a number of the rented scooters were abandoned in various places in the south end of the city near the waterfront, prompting Ward 1 Coun. Stephen Dasko to say he’d “lost count of how many complaints I have received.”

Others, meanwhile, were being left at bicycle racks where they took up space at the expense of bikes, he added at the city council meeting back in September, further describing the situation as “an ongoing battle.”

Since then, the city and its partners in the program — Bird Canada and Lime Canada — have taken a long look at the initiative’s first year with an eye toward significantly improving things in year two.

In addition to increased fines and better parking facilities, the program in 2025 will see faster response times in picking up abandoned/illegally parked e-scooters/e-bikes, city officials say.

Also, city staff, Bird Canada and Lime Canada “will continue engaging with community organizations and the public throughout the season, including planned outreach events, educational initiatives with local school boards and digital safety campaigns,” the staff report, authored by the city’s transportation and works commissioner, Sam Rogers, reads.

120,752 trips taken in first year

Councillors will discuss the report next Wednesday, with final approval of year two plans to come from council at a later date.

City staff said in its inaugural year, the micromobility initiative saw a total of 120,752 trips taken on e-scooters and e-bikes by 45,419 unique riders.

Of all trips taken, 13 per cent originated from one of the city’s handful of business improvement areas and another 13 per cent ended in one of those areas.

“Other high-traffic origins and destinations included transit terminals, shopping malls, residential towers and parks,” city staff said in the report.

In its conclusion, the report stated the 2024 season “achieved significant ridership” and that “notably, approximately nine per cent of riders were repeat riders who have completed more than five trips with a single service provider, demonstrating the program’s growing adoption as a reliable transportation option.”

Riders last year “utilized the program to access key destinations across Mississauga including transit hubs, business districts and recreational areas, highlighting its role in enhancing connectivity and supporting multi-modal travel.”

Looking ahead, city staff noted “the introduction of over 100 dedicated parking stations and two types of parking zones for the 2025 season will further improve accessibility, convenience and compliance, ensuring the program continues to serve as a reliable first mile and last mile mobility solution for the public.”

Under the program, the 900 e-scooters and 300 e-bikes are parked at more than 600 approved designated locations and locked to poles, signposts or bike racks until they are rented.

(Cover photo: City of Mississauga)