Urban electric scooter project

/ DENSE URBAN / ELECTRIC VEHICLES / ACTIVE MOBILITY /

Deploy a fleet of electric scooters in urban areas to optimize the movement of municipal employees and for recreational and tourist use.

A PROJECT BY

The deployment of GEEBEE electric scooters in the City of L'Assomption aims to significantly reduce the use of single-occupancy cars for trips made by municipal employees, as well as to contribute to recreational tourism by offering tourists a different way to explore the city.

Project objectives

Optimize municipal employees' travel within the municipality by offering a fleet of electric scooters usable during the summer season ;
Facilitate individual travel of municipal employees over short and medium distances ;
Replace the use of combustion-engine vehicles with an ecological transport solution. Economical, ergonomic and versatile ;
Offer a sustainable transport solution ;
Offer tourists a different, innovative and safe opportunity to discover the City of L'Assomption.

Currently, the City of L'Assomption offers rentals of 6 GEEBEE electric scooters at Parc Léo-Jacques throughout the summer season. Residents and tourists aged 18 and over can rent them at a cost of $15/hour or $30 for 3 hours and follow the historical and artistic route offered by the municipality.

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Pre-project methodology

The City of L'Assomption is the first Quebec municipality to deploy GEEBEE electric scooters in its territory. Initially wishing to reduce the use of combustion-engine vehicles by its municipal employees and to offer an ecological alternative to tourists, the City of L'Assomption turned to Concept GEEBEE to purchase electric scooters authorized to operate on the Quebec road network.

Before this deployment could be made possible, a rigorous certification process via theSAAQ and the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility was carried out.

Pilot project

Since October 5, 2018, the GEEBEE electric scooter has been authorized by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to operate on the road network under certain conditions. The pilot project concerning electric scooters, enacted on August 29, 2018 and amended on September 9, 2021, sets out rules for safety equipment, use and circulation as well as restrictions on the public roads where they may operate.

The goals of the pilot project are:

Experiment with the use of electric scooters on certain public roads ;
Collect information on the use of electric scooters on public roads in order to assess their integration into road traffic, to develop traffic rules and to establish standards regarding characteristics and equipment for these vehicles;

Originally planned for a duration of three years, the pilot project was extended by two years, until September 13, 2023. In addition, certain relaxations were made, notably concerning the minimum age of participants and the public roads that may be used. It allows certain models of electric scooters to operate on certain public roads. It falls within a specific context where employers wish to make scooters available to their employees to facilitate their travel.

Since the use of an electric scooter requires training, employees of the City of L'Assomption took charge of this aspect and trained their teams.

Funding

Investments of $30,000 from the City of L'Assomption to cover the purchase of 6 scooters and their maintenance costs ;
Concept GEEBEE invested between $5,000 and $10,000 for the deployment of this project, including user training.

Results achieved

Recreational rental of electric scooters

2019: 223 rentals
2020: 0 (COVID-19)
2021: 47 rentals
2022: 98 rentals

Lessons learned

Success factors

Significant GHG reduction: using a GEEBEE scooter to replace a combustion-engine vehicle – a pickup like an F-150, very frequently used by municipalities to transport employees within the territory – saves 12 tonnes of GHG over the life of a battery (50,000 km) ;
Innovative and eye-catching vehicle: the GEEBEE scooter attracts attention! It generates interest among many tourists who want to have a new experience and try this new vehicle available for rent. Easy to use, 98% of users understand how the electric scooter works and how to handle it in less than 20 seconds ;
A one-of-a-kind scooter: the GEEBEE stands out from other personal-use vehicles due to its size, ergonomic position (standing and stable), ease of use, and its ability to travel on a multitude of surfaces, regardless of the season. 100% electric and durable, the GEEBEE scooter features a completely redesigned configuration and materials.

Practical advice for carrying out such a project

Maintenance:Concept GEEBEE realized during the project the importance of having an internal resource within the municipality able to perform basic maintenance on the electric scooters. Most service calls could easily have been handled by a resource capable of performing basic maintenance and minor repairs on a bicycle, since the operation is very similar. In very rare cases, the problem was related to the scooter's battery, which can be changed easily and quickly. The battery life is about 50,000 km.

Next steps

In the fall of 2021, the City of L'Assomption tested electric cargo scooters, and would eventually like to move toward this option to decarbonize their maintenance and cleaning activities in their various parks.

Project partners

Concept GEEBEE
City of L'Assomption:
- Make the scooters available
- Ensure maintenance
IVÉO

Resources

Learn more about the project:

SAAQ |Electric Scooter Pilot Project

Articles published about the project:

Project contact person

Concept GEEBEE
Sabine Le Névannau
President
slenevannau@conceptgeebee.com

City of L'Assomption
Maxime Chevrier
Environmental and Sustainable Development Advisor
mchevrier@ville.lassomption.qc.ca

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