Shared Micromobility

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2025 Update: Halifax Regional Municipality (the municipality) is launching shared micromobility pilot. 

The municipality is expanding transportation options in the urban centre by approving a service provider for shared e-scooters and e-bikes. After a rigorous and competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) evaluation, the municipality has entered a two-year shared micromobility pilot with Bird Canada. The pilot is set to launch in spring 2025.  

The pilot arises from a 2023 Council motion which directed staff to develop a two-year shared micromobility pilot project to license a limited number of business(es) to operate short-term e-scooter and bicycle rental services in the Halifax region. The pilot supports a number of the municipality’s goals including Action 88 of the Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), and Action 8 of Section 5.2.3 of HalifACT, to decarbonize transportation. Also in 2023, Council approved By-law M-300, the Micromobility By-law, which guides the operation of e-scooters and micromobility operation. 

More information regarding the pilot is available on halifax.ca.

2020 Update

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on Shared Micromobility. Your feedback will help inform Regional Council about the best approaches to enabling, regulating, and delivering shared micromobility transportation options in Halifax. We have reviewed the feedback and created a What We Heard Report. 

This project is the result of a 2019 motion from the Transportation Standing Committee (TSC) as well as Action 88 of the Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), which directs municipal staff to conduct a bike share feasibility study. 

What is Shared Micromobility?

Shared micromobility is an umbrella term for services that provide public access to personal vehicles for transportation purposes. Bike share systems are the most common service. Residents and visitors can use bike share to ride a bike for a short trip (i.e., up to 5 km). Other vehicle types are becoming common, including electric assist bicycles (“e-bikes”), and electric scooters (“e-scooters”).

Canadian cities with shared micromobility services include Kelowna, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, Toronto, and Montreal.

Why Study This?

What shared micromobility services consist of, and how they are implemented, is changing. Traditionally, cities procured systems from an operator. The systems were then managed by the operator or a third-party company, non-profit, or government agency. In recent years, private companies have begun offering shared micromobility services to cities, or even just implementing them without any approval from the city. In many jurisdictions, these services are permitted, in that the private operator can apply for a permit to operate their system. Many cities have experienced challenges with these private systems as they may not address the city’s transportation and mobility-related goals.

This study will identify goals for shared micromobility systems in the Halifax region, and provide best practice guidance for how the municipality could implement these services.


Study Outcomes

In response to the 2019 Transportation Standing Committee motion, the findings of Phase 1 of the study will inform a staff report to the Committee in early 2021.

Alta Planning & Design’s final report, anticipated in spring 2021, will inform a report to Regional Council that will recommend if and how to proceed with a shared micromobility system and identify any regulatory changes that may be required to enable the operation of shared micromobility services in the municipality.



2025 Update: Halifax Regional Municipality (the municipality) is launching shared micromobility pilot. 

The municipality is expanding transportation options in the urban centre by approving a service provider for shared e-scooters and e-bikes. After a rigorous and competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) evaluation, the municipality has entered a two-year shared micromobility pilot with Bird Canada. The pilot is set to launch in spring 2025.  

The pilot arises from a 2023 Council motion which directed staff to develop a two-year shared micromobility pilot project to license a limited number of business(es) to operate short-term e-scooter and bicycle rental services in the Halifax region. The pilot supports a number of the municipality’s goals including Action 88 of the Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), and Action 8 of Section 5.2.3 of HalifACT, to decarbonize transportation. Also in 2023, Council approved By-law M-300, the Micromobility By-law, which guides the operation of e-scooters and micromobility operation. 

More information regarding the pilot is available on halifax.ca.

2020 Update

Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts on Shared Micromobility. Your feedback will help inform Regional Council about the best approaches to enabling, regulating, and delivering shared micromobility transportation options in Halifax. We have reviewed the feedback and created a What We Heard Report. 

This project is the result of a 2019 motion from the Transportation Standing Committee (TSC) as well as Action 88 of the Integrated Mobility Plan (IMP), which directs municipal staff to conduct a bike share feasibility study. 

What is Shared Micromobility?

Shared micromobility is an umbrella term for services that provide public access to personal vehicles for transportation purposes. Bike share systems are the most common service. Residents and visitors can use bike share to ride a bike for a short trip (i.e., up to 5 km). Other vehicle types are becoming common, including electric assist bicycles (“e-bikes”), and electric scooters (“e-scooters”).

Canadian cities with shared micromobility services include Kelowna, Hamilton, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Waterloo Region, Toronto, and Montreal.

Why Study This?

What shared micromobility services consist of, and how they are implemented, is changing. Traditionally, cities procured systems from an operator. The systems were then managed by the operator or a third-party company, non-profit, or government agency. In recent years, private companies have begun offering shared micromobility services to cities, or even just implementing them without any approval from the city. In many jurisdictions, these services are permitted, in that the private operator can apply for a permit to operate their system. Many cities have experienced challenges with these private systems as they may not address the city’s transportation and mobility-related goals.

This study will identify goals for shared micromobility systems in the Halifax region, and provide best practice guidance for how the municipality could implement these services.


Study Outcomes

In response to the 2019 Transportation Standing Committee motion, the findings of Phase 1 of the study will inform a staff report to the Committee in early 2021.

Alta Planning & Design’s final report, anticipated in spring 2021, will inform a report to Regional Council that will recommend if and how to proceed with a shared micromobility system and identify any regulatory changes that may be required to enable the operation of shared micromobility services in the municipality.