Rental scooters and bikes pop up earlier this season

By Alexandra Noad - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on April 11, 2025.

Herald photo by Alexandra Noad The City of Lethbridge has again partnered with Bird Canada to take over the provision of rental bikes and scooters that can be picked up and dropped off at various locations around town.

The company providing a fun, environmentally friendly way to navigate the city is back for its second year, this time making its appearance earlier than last year.

The City of Lethbridge partnered with Bird Canada, a private company, last year to take over the provision of rental bikes and scooters that can be picked up and dropped off at various locations around town.

Pat Graham, general manager for Bird Canada, says while it had a shorter season last year, with vehicles not arriving until June, Lethbridge was still in the nations Top 10 rides per day list.

“We saw a lot of great ridership and people using them quite a bit,” he says. “We had a very high, what we call rides per day, from over 1.5 in Lethbridge, which means every vehicle got at least one-and-a-half rides per day.”

With the longer season, assuming Mother Nature co-operates, Graham hopes to see another successful season, if not more successful than last.

“Having the vehicles available for longer periods of time, people get more used to them and we’ve seen that across the country, so I would absolutely expect to see a significant rise this year.”

This year there be more scooters and bikes to choose from, all of which come with their own helmets. Frequent riders are also able to receive a free helmet through the app, for increase peace of mind.

There is an initial cost to unlock an e-bike or e-scooter and a per-minute cost after that, all handled through the Bird Ride Electric phone app. Riders are able to buy time in bulk on the app as well.

Graham says Bird vehicles are a great alternative mode of transportation for small and large cities alike. Each vehicle can last up to four hours on a single ride.

“Electric scooters and electric bikes can be used in all types of urban environments, both large and small.”

Operating in 30 municipalities across the country, Bird is also 100 per cent Canadian-owned with its headquarters located in Toronto, so users can be assured they’re having a positive impact on the environment and the economy.