VIDEO: E-scooters roll-out in Kelowna again

A day after the City of Kelowna made the necessary changes to its traffic bylaws, e-scooters are already available to rent by the minute.

Two companies, worldwide e-scooter giant, 'Lime' has 500 on the streets of Kelowna. And Canadian-based 'Zip' has also rolled out some of its own.

Each company requires users to first download an app before starting to ride.

"You need a credit card and a smartphone to use the service," said City of Kelowna New Mobility Specialist Matt Worona.

"You can pay essentially by the minute to use these scooters."

Early reaction included some reservations about the cost.

"It's pretty expensive," said one woman who checked out the pricing on the Lime app. She and her friend figured a few hours would cost over $40.

But a company spokesperson told KelownaNow most people use the scooters for short trips so the average cost is little more than $5 dollars.

It's $1.15 to unlock a 'Lime' e-scooter and 35 cents per minute to ride.

"Every operator has a different price point," explained Worona. "Different operators will develop different pricing strategies."

Thanks to a pilot project involving the provincial government, the scooters are now legal for bike lanes and shared pathways, but they aren't allowed on sidewalks.

"Sidewalk riding, just like bikes and skateboards would be illegal," said Worona. "The city is also building out really, really high-quality bike facilities.

And those are shown to kind of pull people off the sidewalks."

Both companies have tagged their scooters with an information card that lays out the rules for their use.

The first rule is that you require a helmet.

'Lime' has partnered with Tourism Kelowna to ensure riders have access to helmets at the Visitor Information Centre on the waterfront.