User Guide To Lime, Bird & Roll Scooters in Calgary

Everything You Need To Know About Scooters In Calgary

Electric scooters were first introduced to Calgary in the summer of 2019 through a city run pilot program to see how scooter ride sharing would g For a few dollars people could use scooters to quickly move around the downtown core and surrounding area, within the overall GPS controlled scooter ‘zone’. The scooters are removed when the snow starts, then reintroduced in the late spring/early summer. In 2020 Roll Scooters joined the game, also deploying their scooters throughout the downtown core. All 3 companies do the same thing and have similar equipment, cost about the same, function the same, but are they the same? This guide will break that down for you. Below we list all of the details for each of the scooter companies operating in Calgary.

Please make sure you wear a helmet when operating an electric scooter, and follow all of the rules and laws. Never ride when drinking or under the effects of medication, cannabis, or anything else.

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What Are Electric Scooters?

Also called e-scooters, right now on Calgary streets, sidewalks, on corners and elsewhere are hundreds of electronic scooters that people can rent, for a pay-per-minute fee. You just stand on it and it’ll take you where you need to go, no pedaling or pushing required. These electric scooters are battery powered (which you can earn $$$ for charging, more on that here) and can go over 20km/h! Because everything is electronic, so you’ll need to download their app and add your credit card information first before you can start using them. No cash, no coins. It’s hassle free and these scooters will make sightseeing and other similar activities so much more fun.

They’re ‘dock-less’, in that there is nowhere to return them to. You use them to get to your destination, and then just leave them there (so long as you follow the rules). These scooters have been available in many other cities around the world for quite some time. They’re GPS tracked, built solid and should last a long time if used properly and not thrown in the damn river.

They each have a throttle button on the right handlebar, that will make you drive forward, and a brake on the left, which will make you stop. Couldn’t be simpler.

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Calgary Scooter Companies

There are three companies operating electric scooters in Calgary, Bird, Lime and Roll.

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COVID19 and Scooters

From The City of Calgary regarding COVID19 and scooter use.

It’s important to note that the shared e-scooters are NOT cleaned after every use, when riding a shared scooter, each rider needs to follow the following safety guidelines below:

• Please wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after using a shared-e-scooter. Use hand sanitizer when soap and water is not available.

 

• Wipe down the shared scooter with a pre-moistened disinfectant wipe before and after use of a shared e-scooter. Please bring your own wipes.

 

• Avoid touching your face when using a shared e-scooter.

 

• Physical distancing must be maintained when riding. When riding alone or with other people you are still required to maintain at least 2 meters (the length of a bicycle) between yourself and anyone else. Only one rider at a time is permitted (no ‘doubling’)

 

• While riding a scooter, be safe, slow down, and leave space when passing other people; always give each other 2 meters of space.

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Scooter Zones

Each scooter company has a clearly defined scooter zone map of where you can and can’t ride in Calgary. At present time the scooters are only available within the downtown core and surrounding areas, with a few other areas disabled too, such as along 7th Avenue SW (where the c-train runs). If you attempt to ride a scooter outside of their defined zones, you won’t be able to ‘end’ your ride, and the speed will be reduced. Ride back into the zone and you’re good.

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Earn Money By Charging Scooters (Juicing)

You can earn money by finding scooters with low batteries, bringing them home, charging them up overnight then releasing them back into the wild (they’ll show you where to drop them off in the app). Doing this is referred to as being a ‘juicer‘. In order to do it you’ll need to sign up and get approved get their charge cables sent by mail. After you’ve signed up they’ll send you some chargers, which you need to pay for. You can find more chargers on Kijiji and the Facebook marketplace.

• Lime
• Bird

Note: Roll Scooters have employees that collect and charge their own scooters, so they do not have a charger/juicer program.

How It Works

1. At the end of the day search out and collect low battery scooters
2. Bring them home
3. Charge them up overnight
4. Drop them off the next morning

How much money can you make charging scooters?

Right now you’ll make about $5 per charge. There are several factors involved in just how much money you can make though.

• Location! If you live downtown, it’ll be much easier to find, collect and charge the scooters vs living way in the deep south.
• Are you driving? Try to harvest several scooters at the same time.
• How many other people charging scooters are in the area? Maybe try another area.

Limes website says “Juicers can earn up to $30+ per hour and $100+ per night collecting, charging and redistributing Lime-S”. In addition there are lots of YouTube videos going into detail just how much money you can make charging scooters.

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Get A Free Helmet!

Both companies Lime and Bird offer free helmets to customers. See their sites for all the details, but you just pay shipping. Around $10.

• Lime
• Bird

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Buy Your Own Electric Scooter

Amazon sells all kinds of scooter models, with a huge variety of pricing. Spend some time researching what you might end up buying.

Scooters For Kids

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Conclusion 

I think these electric scooters make an excellent addition to Calgary, especially in the downtown core. Tourists and Calgarians both will now be able to zip all over the place around downtown, quickly, for an affordable price, AND while having fun doing it. A great addition to the transportation options in Calgary.