Common E-Scooter Questions

Electronic Scooters (“e-scooters”) are electric motor vehicles consisting of steering handlebars and a footboard mount on wheels. Rented e-scooters are owned by e-scooter vending companies who control access to their e-scooters through a software application and GPS control/monitoring of the e-scooters. Residents can rent e-scooters by finding a parked e-scooter, downloading the related e-scooter company app on their smartphone, and following the instructions through the app to submit payment and activate the e-scooter. Once activated, the e-scooter may be used within the boundaries defined by the e-scooter company and must be parked legally once the trip has ended (the e-scooter does not have to be returned to the same spot where it was originally parked).

E-scooters may be ridden on any sidewalk or paved trail within the boundaries of the City of St. Albert, at the discretion of the e-scooter company that owns the individual scooter. E-scooters can’t be ridden on streets and roadways, in transit zones or transit centres, inside buildings, in playgrounds with rubberized surfacing, parking lots or within special event areas (e.g., Children’s Festival, St. Albert Rainmaker Rodeo, Farmer’s Market, etc.). E-scooters also can not be ridden in Woodlands Skate Park, Woodlands Water Play Park and Fowler Athletic Park. The City has outlined specific “no-go zones” (on our Open Data Portal) that e-scooter companies will “geo-fence,” causing e-scooters to stop and be unusable if they enter these areas. Rented e-scooters will not be able to cross boundaries into Edmonton or other surrounding municipalities, and certain e-scooter companies may impose their own restrictions to limit where their e-scooters can be used within St. Albert. The company's app will notify you by text or in-app alert if you are going into a specific  "no-go" zone. 

E-Scooters should be parked in the “furniture zone”, which is the area that includes streetlights, parking meters, bicycle racks and areas that act as a buffer between roads/streets and sidewalks/trails (e.g., boulevards that separate sidewalks from streets are “furniture zones”). Within this area, e-scooters should not be parked within 0.3 metres of a roadside curb or edge, within 1.5 metres of an access to a garage or driveway, within shrub beds or 0.5 metres of trees and within 5 metres of a fire hydrant.

E-scooters are also not allowed to park within the area designated as the St. Albert District & Chamber Farmer's Market from 10 p.m. Friday through to 5 p.m. Saturday from June through October.

If there is no furniture zone available, e-scooters must be parked in a way that does not prevent movement or block access on sidewalks/trails and into buildings. E-scooters may not be parked in loading zones, accessible parking zones, ramps, bridges, center median islands or parking spaces. If special parking restrictions apply in an area where you intend to park an e-scooter, you will receive notifications/instructions through the related e-scooter company app. 

E-Scooters shared by e-scooter companies will be limited to a maximum speed of 15km/hr or less on flat level ground. 

Such issues should be reported directly to the e-scooter company that owns the e-scooter. This can be done through the related company’s app or by using the contact information for approved e-scooter companies.

Such issues should be reported directly to the e-scooter company that owns the e-scooter. This can be done through the related company’s app or by using the contact information for approved e-scooter companies.

Such issues should be reported directly to the e-scooter company that owns the e-scooter, as they may ban users who improperly use scooters from accessing their shared e-scooter fleet. If you see an e-scooter being operated in a dangerous way that is a risk to public safety, please contact the City’s Municipal Enforcement Department at 780-458-7700.

Riders must be 16 years of age or older to ride an e-scooter.

Helmets are mandatory for all e-scooter users, regardless of age, as per the City’s Traffic Bylaw.

The operation of e-scooters on public property (which includes places like shopping centre parking lots, even though they’re privately owned), is only permitted if the operator has obtained a permit through Alberta Transportation, as per Government of Alberta Legislation. The companies that operate shared e-scooter programs in St. Albert have obtained such permits, which is why they are allowed to operate e-scooters on public property, while individuals with private e-scooters cannot.