HomeMy WebLinkAboutENG 15-25Report to Council
Report Number: ENG 15-25
Date: June 23, 025
From: Richard Holborn
Director, Engineering Services
Subject: Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program
Request for Proposal No. RFP2025-6
File: A-1440
Recommendation:
1.That the proposal submitted by Bird Canada Scooters Inc. in response to Request for
Proposal No. RFP2025-6 for the Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program be accepted;
2.That the Director, Engineering Services be authorized to execute an agreement with Bird
Canada Scooters Inc. pursuant to Request for Proposal No. RFP2025-6; and,
3.That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the necessary
actions as indicated in this report.
Executive Summary: The purpose of this report is to obtain Council’s authorization to
award Request for Proposal RFP2025-6 to Bird Canada Scooters Inc. to launch a shared
electric kick scooter (e-scooter) pilot program in the City of Pickering, and to provide Council
with information on the review and evaluation process undertaken by staff to select a qualified
vendor for the City’s inaugural shared e-scooter pilot program.
The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) launched a five-year pilot program (Provincial
Pilot Project – Electric Kick Scooters – ON Reg. 389/19) to run from January 1, 2020, to
November 27, 2024, to allow municipalities to choose where and how e-scooters may be used.
The MTO outlined that it is up to municipalities to pass by-laws to permit the use of e-scooters
locally and determine where they can and cannot operate. The City of Pickering enacted By-
law No. 7992/23 which came into effect on February 27, 2023. On October 28, 2024, the MTO
extended the e-scooter pilot program for another five years to November 27, 2029. The City’s
E-Scooter By-Law No. 7992/23 was amended accordingly at the Council meeting of November
25, 2024 through Resolution #610/24 (Attachment 1).
To assess the potential impacts and uptake of a shared e-scooter pilot program in the City,
staff recommended in Report ENG 09-24 that interested vendors be invited to participate in a
pilot program through a competitive procurement process. Staff received Council authorization
through Resolution #539/24 (Attachment 2) to develop terms of reference for the issuance of
the Request for Proposal (RFP) to select a vendor to operate and maintain a shared e-scooter
pilot program.
As per the direction from Resolution #539/24, Request for Proposal RFP2025-6 was posted on
the City’s bids&tenders portal on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with the submission deadline of
Wednesday May 21, 2025. Four companies submitted proposals.
ENG 15-25 June 23, 2025
Page 2
The Evaluation Committee, consisting of staff from Engineering Services and Corporate
Services, reviewed and evaluated submitted proposals based on each proponent’s experience
and qualifications, similar or related projects, understanding of the project, and revenue to the
City.
All reference checks and required pre-conditions of the award have been received and
approved. It is the recommendation of the Evaluation Committee to award the contract to Bird
Canada Scooters Inc. as the top-ranked Proponent. The agreement will be for an initial term of
one year, with an option in favour to the City to extend the agreement on the same terms and
conditions for up to two additional one year terms.
Relationship to the Pickering Strategic Plan: The recommendations in this report respond
to the Pickering Strategic Plan Priority of Advance Innovation & Responsible Planning to
Support a Connected, Well-Serviced Community
Financial Implications: The capital and operating costs of the pilot program will be the
responsibility of Bird Canada Scooters Inc.
Furthermore, Bird Canada Scooters Inc. is required to pay the City the following fees, as
outlined in the bid document, to participate in the City’s inaugural shared e-scooter pilot
program:
Fee Description Amount
Annual Program / License Fee $5,000
Security Deposit for damages $30,000
Annual E-Scooter Fee $45 per e-scooter
Annual Program Improvement Fee $5 per e-scooter
Removal / Pickup Fee $175 per device / occurrence
Per Trip Fee $0.22
The annual fees are intended to offset the City’s administrative costs. Bird Canada Scooters
Inc. will pay a per trip fee to the City for each trip taken by riders. Bird Canada Scooters Inc will
provide the City a monthly report with ridership data. Bird Canada Scooters Inc., was required
to meet the City’s insurance requirements which included auto and commercial general liability
coverage ($5.0 million) and the City was added as an additional insured under their policy.
Discussion: The purpose of this report is to obtain Council’s authorization to award
Request for Proposal RFP2025-6 to Bird Canada Scooters Inc. to launch a shared electric kick
scooter (e-scooter) pilot program in the City of Pickering, and to provide Council with
information on the review and evaluation process undertaken by staff to select a qualified
vendor for the City’s inaugural shared e-scooter pilot program.
The MTO launched a five-year pilot program (Provincial Pilot Project – Electric Kick Scooters –
ON Reg. 389/19) to run from January 1, 2020, to November 27, 2024, to allow municipalities to
choose where and how e-scooters may be used and gather data to inform decisions. The MTO
ENG 15-25 June 23, 2025
Page 3
outlined that it is up to municipalities to pass by-laws to permit the use of e-scooters locally and
determine where they can and cannot operate. In October of 2024, the MTO extended the
program for another five years to run until November 27, 2029. The City’s E-Scooter By-Law
No. 7992/23 which was enacted on February 27, 2023, was amended at the Council meeting
of November 25, 2024 through Resolution #610/24 to reflect this change. The City’s E-Scooter
By-Law No. 7992/23 prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from riding an e-scooter and riding
on any sidewalk, trail, park or multi-use pathway under authority of the City, to prioritize
pedestrian safety.
As per the direction from Resolution #539/24, Request for Proposal RFP2025-6 was posted on
the City’s bids&tenders portal on Thursday, May 1, 2025, with the submission deadline of
Wednesday, May 21, 2025. Four companies submitted proposals. The Evaluation Committee,
consisting of staff from the Engineering Services Department and the Corporate Services
Department, reviewed and evaluated the proposals.
The proposals were evaluated based on the vendor’s experience on operating a shared e-
scooter program in similar sized municipalities, their understanding of the pilot program for the
City, proposed work plan and timeline, fleet information, operation and maintenance plan, risk
mitigation, company’s fee structure for e-scooter riders, data collection and privacy, marketing,
public education and consultation plan, quality of their references and their revenue to be paid
to the City. Bird Canada Scooters Inc. was the top-ranked Proponent and is recommended by
the evaluation committee for award.
As noted in the RFP document, the pilot program is expected to run from April to the end of
October of each year, depending on weather conditions, with the hours of operation from 6 am
to 11 pm on weekdays and weekends. The e-scooters must be unavailable for rent outside of
these hours. Additionally, the City’s preference is providing designated parking locations for
high pedestrian areas in the City and geofenced virtual parking locations (app based only) for
lower-density, less congested areas.
Bird Canada Scooters Inc. will meet with City staff for pre-launch alignment (proposed parking
plan review, service centre visit, vehicle testing), and address any questions City staff may
have. They will be able to enforce parking through mandatory photo submission from riders via
their app to ensure proper parking compliance. Riders will not be able to end a trip without this
verification. They will also have a team of in-field staff, and their Safe Streets Team who will be
responsible for monitoring the designated and geofenced parking locations throughout the day
to ensure vehicles are parked upright and orderly, and respond to any enquiries by the public
and riders.
Bird Canada Scooters Inc. will be fully in charge of providing education and marketing
materials to the City and hosting dedicated listening and feedback sessions for residents and
disability groups regarding their vehicles and proposed designated parking locations. They will
also host weekly safety events to educate riders and the general public on safe riding practices
for the first month post launch and then on need-by-need basis or at the request of the City
afterwards.
Bird Canada Scooters Inc. have expanded their operations in 28 municipalities in Canada
since its inception in 2019. They have proposed to deploy 200 e-scooters for the entire City
ENG 15-25 June 23, 2025
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based on the service area, the City’s population, and the anticipated ridership based on similar
programs they have run across the country. They will work with the City to evaluate
performance throughout the season, including monitoring utilization rates and responding to
any adjustments to the permitted fleet size. Should demand support it, they have indicated that
Pickering could eventually support a maximum fleet size of up to 300 e-scooters. Additionally,
they have proposed to commit to hiring 26 local staff to operate and maintain the pilot program
for the City.
Bird Canada Scooters Inc. will strictly adhere to the designated hours of operation, 6 am to 11
pm, established by City staff. During non-operational hours, their system will remotely
deactivate all of their devices in the City by 10:45 pm to prevent any new rides from being
initiated and they will remain deactivated until 6 am the next day
In the Request for Proposal RFP2025-6, under Pre-Conditions of Award, the City notes that
the following insurance requirements must be met within 10 days of project award:
•Commercial General Liability insurance
•Automobile Liability insurance
•“All-Risk” Property insurance coverage
•Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
This shared e-scooter pilot program will allow staff to assess the performance and operation of
a micro-mobility system under a test environment and gather data to support
recommendations for a possible permanent solution and rules around their uses in the City.
Bird Canada Scooters Inc. will provide the City staff with monthly summary reports, which will
include detailed information on trip volumes, ridership trends, heat map of usage and
compliance rates, user infractions (i.e., sidewalk riding, improper parking, etc.), reported
complaints and resolutions, public feedback shared through their customer service channels,
key performance indicators such as duration of trip, average distance and vehicle utilization
rates. The program should also improve access to transit throughout the City by providing an
additional first mile/last mile mobility option for our residents and visitors.
Attachments:
1.Resolution #610/24
2.Resolution #539/24
ENG 15-25 June 23, 2025
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Prepared By: Approved/Endorsed By:
Ridhita Ghose, P.Eng. Richard Holborn, P.Eng.
Transportation Engineer Director, Engineering Services
Nadeem Zahoor, P.Eng., M.Eng. Cathy Bazinet, CPPB, NIGP-CPP
Manager, Transportation & Traffic Manager, Procurement
Robert Mackay Stan Karwowski, MBA, CPA, CMA
Supervisor, Parking Enforcement Director, Finance & Treasurer
RG:mjh
Recommended for the consideration
of Pickering City Council
Marisa Carpino, M.A.
Chief Administrative Officer
Original signed by:Original signed by:
Original signed by:Original signed by:
Original signed by:Original signed by:
Original signed by:
Legislative Services Division
Clerk’s Office
Directive Memorandum
November 29, 2024
To: Paul Bigioni
Director, City Development & CBO
From: Susan Cassel
City Clerk
Subject: Direction as per Minutes of the Meeting of City Council held on
November 25, 2024
Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor, Report BYL 04-24
Electric Kick Scooter By-law Amendment
Council Decision Resolution #610/24
Please take any action deemed necessary.
SC:jc
Copy: Chief Administrative Officer
Manager, Municipal Law Enforcement Services
1.That Council approve the amendment to the Electric Kick Scooter By-law 7992/23
in attachment 1; and;
2.That appropriate City of Pickering officials be authorized to take the actions
necessary to implement the recommendations in this report.
Attachment 1 to Report ENG 15-25
Legislative Services Division
Clerk’s Office
Directive Memorandum
June 28, 2024
To: Richard Holborn
Director, Engineering
From: Susan Cassel
City Clerk
Subject: Direction as per Minutes of the Meeting of City Council held on
June 24, 2024
Director, Engineering Services, Report ENG 09-24
Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program
Council Decision Resolution #539/24
Please take any action deemed necessary.
Susan Cassel
Copy: Chief Administrative Officer
Director, Finance & Treasurer
1.That Report ENG 09-24 regarding a Shared E-scooter Pilot Program be
received;
2.That the staff be authorized to issue a ‘Request for Proposal’ to select a vendor
to undertake and implement a Shared E-Scooter Pilot Program in the City of
Pickering;
3.That a copy of this report be circulated to the Region of Durham, Durham
Regional Police Service, Durham Region Transit, and all local Municipalities in
Durham Region; and,
4.That the appropriate officials of the City of Pickering be authorized to take the
necessary actions as indicated in this report.
Attachment 2 to Report ENG 15-25