‘Major frustration’: E-scooter company hopes parking restrictions loosen in Mississauga

A Mississauga resident was initially excited to rent a Lime scooter for a late-night ride home from the City Centre a few weeks ago, but ended up in a predicament when he couldn’t find an approved parking spot close to his intended destination.

Trying to end the ride was a lengthy and frustrating process. But eventually he got to a spot and was able to stop the ride, albeit not in a place that was anywhere close to his home and after some difficulties with the physical locking system. Only an Uber ride was able to get him where he needed to be.

And now one of the companies involved in Mississauga’s new e-scooter network says the number of parking restrictions in the city has been a point of “major frustration” for users.

Austin Spademan, the head of Bird Canada government partnerships, told INsauga.com that the company is hoping the City would allow a change to the rules so that riders can avoid “unnecessary friction.”

Mississauga’s first shared micro-mobility program is relatively new, having just kicked off back in June. Two companies, Lime Technology, Inc. and Bird Canada, are part of the program, offering hundreds of e-scooters and e-bikes for rent.

Riders are able to use the scooters or bikes throughout the city, with restrictions in some areas. When it comes to ending a ride and parking, users are limited to certain areas and must also physically lock the devices.

“Mississauga is both designated parking only and lock-to (physical locking). This is a first for Canada,” Spademan said.

In other parts of the country, Bird has various parking requirements, with the loosest being fully dockless or “free-floating,” like in Calgary. Some cities, including Ottawa, have both designated and dockless parking, while others have only designated spots. No cities other than Mississauga have both designated parking and physical locking together, Spademan said.

“We have heard feedback from riders that parking limitations are a point of frustration,” Spademan said of Mississauga’s system.

“At Bird Canada, we are aligned with the City of Mississauga that devices should only be parked in certain locations, but feel designated locations and lock-to together can create unnecessary friction for riders.”

Spademan said the company would like to explore a model similar to what it has in Surrey, B.C., with digital locking technology. That would allow the devices to still be kept in “tightly controlled areas” without the need to physically lock the scooters or bikes, he said.

Spademan said the digital locking technology is able to track where a device is parked “down to the centimetre level.”

“This has many benefits: it ensures our devices don’t take up bike racks necessarily, it ensures we can allow more parking spaces for riders in more places, and it has all the capabilities to ensure the device is not in the public right of way,” Spademan said.

“A major frustration from riders has been the lack of designated parking space availability, which is why we believe a logical step for the future of the program is potentially untethering from lock-to only parking,” he added, noting that infrastructure to physically lock the devices is not needed with digital locking.

More parking spots being added, but seems City won’t budge on physical locks

Spademan said any changes would have to be made in partnership with the City of Mississauga.

Despite the restrictions, Bird has more than 1,300 designated parking spots approved by the City and more are being added on a weekly basis, Spademan said.

For its part, Lime is “pleased” with the rollout so far, but is also working to add more spaces and expand across Mississauga.

Rachel Rappaport, the senior manager of government relations for Lime, said she knows that “proper parking” is important for Mississauga residents.

“We have worked closely with our City partners to design a detailed plan to meet these needs, while providing our riders with flexibility to get as close to their preferred destination as possible,” Rappaport said.

“Generally, we know micromobility programs change over time and we always try to ensure they improve over time. Part of that is listening to feedback from riders, non-riders, community partners, and the cities we serve, and then acting on what we hear to build an even better program,” she added.

Lime has received requests for more parking spots in some areas and is working to identify locations and secure approvals from the City.

When asked whether Lime would also like to see an end to the physical locking requirement, Rappaport noted that it was “a priority identified by the City” and something the company does elsewhere.

“As we get towards the end of the year, we’ll review program details and all the data with City partners and make decisions about how to best serve the needs of Mississaugans,” she said.

But it seems the City won’t budge on the requirement for physical locks.

Emma Calvert, Mississauga’s director of infrastructure planning and engineering services, said the measure ensures that the devices are not moved when they’re not being used.

“When properly parked, the lock ensures devices are secured to an approved piece of infrastructure and prevents devices from being moved outside of a rental period,” Calvert said.

“The lock-to requirement is one of the many tools being employed to ensure parked e-bikes and e-scooters do not negatively impact accessibility, safety, or City operations.”

Calvert confirmed that Lime and Bird are continuing to propose new parking spots across Mississauga. Those locations are then reviewed and, if they meet the requirements, are approved by staff.

Calvert noted that in 2023, a study was presented to council which looked at where bikes and scooters should be offered, how many should be available, and where they should be parked.

“This study provided high-level parking recommendations and was used by the service providers to propose specific locations across the City,” she said.

Despite restrictions, complaints received over parking

Calvert said so far, the rollout of the program has been “positive” in terms of usage, but the City did initially receive complaints about device parking.

“Many of the initial questions were from residents looking to understand why devices appear to be left around the City, if a location is an approved location, and how users know where to park,” she said.

“The City has also received feedback about overcrowded parking locations, especially in busier areas like Port Credit and City Centre.”

She said staff are monitoring the system to ensure it is “operating effectively” and regularly meet with Lime and Bird.

A number of parking spots have been adjusted or even removed based on feedback from the community, Calvert said.

This first year of the shared micro-mobility program is being used as a learning period, where City staff and the companies monitor demand, as well as where trips start and end.

“In the second year, that information will be used to inform where stations should be installed and where additional bike racks would benefit the shared system as well as personal bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters,” Calvert said, adding that adjustments have already started to be made.

Lime and Bird have a three-year agreement to operate in the city, which can be extended for an additional two years.