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E-scooters roll out for second season in Vernon next week

Neuron Mobility’s bright orange e-scooters will be popping up around town March 15
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Vernon’s fleet of e-scooters will be redeployed for their second season on Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (Neuron Mobility photo)

Vernon’s e-scooter fleet will return to the streets for a second year next week.

Neuron Mobility will kick off the 2022 riding season Tuesday, March 15, bringing its bright orange e-scooters back to the downtown and surrounding areas.

A rider survey conducted by Neuron last fall found 93 per cent of Vernon riders believe e-scooters have had a positive impact on the community. Trip data showed that Neuron riders travelled more than 160,000 km in the city, with 40 per cent of trips replacing a car journey. Neuron says this saved an estimated 10 tonnes of C02 emissions.

“The response from the city, our riders and the broader Vernon community to our service last year was terrific and we’re looking forward to building on that success this season,” said Ankush Karwal, head of market for Neuron Canada. “It was exciting for us to see that more than half of the rides in Vernon last year were for purposeful travel to commute to work or to get to restaurants and cafes and explore the city. Seeing our safe, sustainable service driving economic activity in our cities is exactly what we strive to achieve.”

According to 2021 trip data, the most popular trip start locations and destinations included the downtown core, North Vernon and East Hill, along with LaCarraia Gelateria Café, Walmart bus station and the 48th Ave./29th St. station.

“The City of Vernon is excited to see shared electric kick scooters return to our community this spring. Many residents and visitors have already embraced this new mode of transportation as a convenient and sustainable way to get to work, explore the city, and visit local businesses,” mayor Victor Cumming said. “The numbers from last year already show what a significant impact the program is having on our community and the environment. We look forward to seeing it grow.”

According to last fall’s survey, the e-scooters have been beneficial to the local economy. Sixty per cent of respondents said they visited restaurants, cafés and explored the city on their trips, while 59 per cent confirmed they made purchases during their most recent trip.

Neuron will also soon be bringing e-bikes to Vernon to go along with the scooters. A date for the arrival of the e-bikes has not yet been announced.

Anyone aged 16 or older can book and use the scooters by downloading Neuron’s app, with trips costing $1.15 to unlock the scooter and 35 cents per minute thereafter.

Frequent scooter users can also purchase Neuron passes, available in three-day ($25), weekly ($33), or monthly ($89) options.

READ MORE: E-scooter age limit reduction rolls out in Vernon

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Brendan Shykora
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Brendan Shykora

About the Author: Brendan Shykora

I started as a carrier at the age of 8. In 2019 graduated from the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University.
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