Okotoks' Bird e-scooter usage among the highest in Canada

Bird e-scooters saw their second year of use in Okotoks in 2022.

The program saw success in its inaugural year, and that was no different this year.

Chris Schafer, Vice President, Government Affairs with Bird Canada, says the use of e-scooters in Okotoks is among the highest in Canada.

"Community members in Okotoks rode over 103,000 km this past season, that's almost three times around the world. The average trip length was almost four kilometres, which is the third highest in Canada."

Some Okotokians seem to have taken their e-scooter usage above and beyond.

One rider took 304 trips this season.

Okotoks' longest ride was 36 km, topping last year's record of 31 km.

According to Bird Canada, Albertans took 483,323 rides this year, preventing 571 metric tons of CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Schafer says the program's growth in Okotoks is congruent with its growth across the country.

"You've got B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba has passed a statute, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia... You're also seeing in municipalities that have had a shared e-scooter program for two years or more, you're seeing rider growth in terms of the number of trips taken. The longer a program is around, the more reliable it is to people, the more they can count on it being a more reliable mode of transportation."