With annual return of Bird e-scooters, City of Medicine Hat encourages etiquette. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

By Jayk Sterkenburg

IN THE COMMUNITY

‘Have etiquette’, says City of Medicine Hat upon return of Bird electric scooters

Mar 31, 2025 | 4:12 PM

Residents travelled a total of 63,000 kilometres — or 1.5 times around the planet — on them last year, and now electric Bird scooters have made their annual return to Medicine Hat.

Taylor Elderton, the City’s parks and recreation business services coordinator, reminds riders to take care of themselves and the people around them when using the e-scooters.

“With anything for our parks and trails and all that, is just- you know, have etiquette,” he said.

“Think of how you’d want other people to use these things around you. They can go decently fast, so make sure you’re just aware of what’s going on around you,” he added.

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Elderton said that the Bird electric bikes will also be available alongside the scooters, in the coming weeks.

Taylor Elderton. Kevin Kyle/CHAT News

Medicine Hat resident Jade Kent says the scooters are a fun addition to the summers in the city, and they have other uses as well.

“Errands, running errands is a big one. Sure, you can take your car- but sometimes it’s just more fun to take a scooter,” she said.

“When my car was in the shop, I used bird scooters to get to and from the shop.”

Kent said the scooters offer a different way to explore something that you might already be familiar with, such as the city’s trail system.

She said it’s great to see these kinds of services coming to Medicine Hat and offering different opportunities and experiences, whether for locals or visitors.

“It shows definitely that Medicine Hat is growing, they’re taking steps towards, whether we talk about tourism or just things for local folks to do,” she said.

“I think it really broadens the horizons that way, for sure.”

Jade Kent. Jayk Sterkenburg/CHAT News

The City of Medicine Hat says that e-scooters are allowed only on paved trails within the city and on designated roadways and bike lanes.

E-scooters are not permitted on sidewalks downtown, at City Hall, in skate parks, on city buses or outside city limits. They must not be parked on a pathway or within one meter of either side of a pathway.

E-scooters cannot be parked on the street or in a way which impedes vehicular traffic from moving on the roadway or accessing driveways, and they can’t be parked in a driving zone at any time.

All e-scooter riders are encouraged to follow the safety regulations outlined by the City, and as contained within the Bird Canada app, including having only one rider at a time.

In addition, all riders must be over the age of 16. Impaired riding under the influence of drugs or alcohol is also not permitted.

For duration of the program, Bird Canada is responsible for parking issues, maintenance and the removal and relocation of their fleet. Bird can be contacted directly for maintenance, improper parking, or other concerns.

Elderton said the City is hoping people will use the scooters to see more of Medicine Hat.

“Some of our big city events, it’s tough to get parking spots. Sometimes you’re parking a long ways away anyways,” he said.

“Scooters take you across the city, and they let you pull right up to the event and enjoy it, and you don’t need to worry about parking,” he added.

“You can just put it off to the side, in a safe spot, and then you don’t need to worry about any of that. And when you’re ready to go, there should be lots of scooters around.”

The Bird app used to locate the electric scooters and bikes can be downloaded from the App Store and the Google Play Store.