Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran admits rollout of e-scooters has not been smooth, but wonders if it was expected to be

Admittedly, the introduction of e-scooters onto Kelowna streets has not been very smooth, although Mayor Colin Basran wonders if it was ever expected to be.

Since the citywide rollout nearly a month ago, the city, social media and media outlets have been flooded with complaints from residents.

Most have centered around the parking of scooters when people have finished riding, the lack of helmets and the cavalier way in which people are using them.

Previously, e-scooters were only available in the downtown area because of tight restrictions as to where they could go.

That changed two months ago when the province opened them up to roadways in Kelowna as part of a three-year pilot project.

"Messy," was the way Basran described the rollout.

"There have been some growing pains. I can't sit here and say this has rolled out perfectly," said Basran.

"But, this is what happens when you introduce what we would call disruptive mobility or disruptive technology into a community, it's a little messy to start.

"Yes, this has been messy, there's no doubt about that."

Basran says the three companies involved with renting e-scooters have brought in additional staff to deal with some of the issues.

City council had a long discussion concerning those growing pains earlier this week, and have agreed to review the program.

"Council has asked to be updated, then we are going to review the program at the end of the summer, and make a decision as to whether this is something we want to see carry on, or perhaps whether this is something that should not continue.

"We appreciate everyone's feedback, we know it hasn't gone smoothly, although I'm not sure we even ever expected it to run smoothly, because this is something entirely new and we knew there would be challenges."