If you’ve been looking for a cheaper, faster means of ride-sharing transportation in Kelowna, you may be in luck.
Loop Scooter Sharing Service, a company headquartered out of Vancouver, will be bringing their limited speed motorcycles (mopheads) to Kelowna for the spring of 2020.
“Kelowna’s pretty excited to have permitted the shared E-mophead program,” said Matt Worona, active transportation coordinator with the City of Kelowna.
The ride-sharing service has been granted a permit by the city of Kelowna, putting a deposit in for 25 scooters. The expectation is the service will operate in a free-floating fashion, like the other scooter services in Kelowna. Riders should be able to pick up and go as they please, making payment through the company’s designated app.
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Currently, Kelowna has six approved vendors within the permit program. While the city has a few different options for ride-sharing, Loop Scooters will be the first shared E-mophead to grace the streets.
“It can enhance people’s ability to get around and people having more options is definitely beneficial from the transportation perspective,” said Worona.
“We’re really interested to see what happens. We’re really comfortable with where they are at in terms of safety measures for these vehicles.”
Due to the fact that these vehicles are considered limited speed motorcycles, those who wish to ride will need a full class 5 license. Loop also requires riders to wear a helmet, which is stored in the rear compartment of the vehicle, unclocked by a digital lock.
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Loop has successfully operated in other markets such as Vancouver and Victoria where eco-friendly, sustainable means of transportation are encouraged.
“Giving the community options for different ways of moving is great,” said Worona. If those options are efficient in terms of space and energy then that’s even better.”
Loop Services plans on doing their official announcement for Kelowna in January, 2020.
