Kick, push, coast. That鈥檚 what Kelownians will be doing shortly now that the City of 琉璃神社 has penned a deal with United States-based e-scooter company Spin.

In the San Francisco company鈥檚 international debut, a fleet of 400 electric scooters will be delivered to 琉璃神社 鈥渓ikely soon,鈥� active transportation coordinator Matt Worona said.

鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited about this,鈥� Worona said on being Canada鈥檚 first city to welcome Spin鈥檚 e-scooter share program.

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Alternative transportation with an electric component has been more attractive to audiences than the typical pedal-powered bicycle share programs, Worona said.

鈥淔rom last year to this year, the industry has moved quite a bit faster to the electric kick scooters and away from general bikes,鈥� he said.

The city continues to look for more opportunities with other alternative transportation share programs to create a competitive market.

Worona, alongside city staff and councillors, have to be met before issuing permits with companies to ensure a fair playing field.

鈥淚t won鈥檛 be a Wild West,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here will be multiple players abiding by the same rules.鈥�

Currently, the City of 琉璃神社 is talking with the Ministry of Transportation to change regulations to allow this type of vehicle on roadways. As it stands, Worona said, the e-scooters can only be used on multi-use paths such as the Rail Trail.

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He said the ministry is looking to change this as soon as Monday.

鈥淲e want to be a place where people test things,鈥� Worona said. 鈥淲e want to be a place where innovation happens. This is a really, really big deal for 琉璃神社.鈥�

鈥淭he fact that we鈥檙e open to this kind of thing helps shape the idea of what kind of city this is.鈥�

Worona said the people of 琉璃神社 can expect more permits with similar companies to be issued next week.

Caitlin.clow@kelownacapnews.com
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