A Mississauga councillor who’s been vocal about his concerns over the safety of electric scooters is suggesting the city “pause” its e-scooter rental program for as long as it takes to address any potential dangers.

Ward 8 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney said at Wednesday’s city council meeting he’ll prepare a motion in the next couple of weeks that will seek to temporarily halt the City of Mississauga’s e-scooter program until “proper measures” are put in place to make use of the micromobility devices safer for riders as well as others.

He added more research and information are needed in order to most effectively tackle the matter.

“There are still a lot of outstanding questions; I do think we need to address it,” Mahoney said Wednesday during discussion of a motion proposed by a fellow city councillor. “I think the way the system works now, it’s just not working from a safety perspective.”

He suggested a “regulatory framework” is needed to better manage the use of e-scooters, but first the city must “pause” its program and then do some homework before taking next big steps on that front.

Mahoney noted he’s been working closely with Peel Regional Police, hospitals and school boards to get a strong handle on what’s needed to improve e-scooter safety.

Ward 8 Coun. and Deputy Mayor Matt Mahoney wants to “pause” e-scooter rentals in Mississauga until safety concerns can be properly addressed.

Discussion on Wednesday morning inside council chambers was prompted by a motion tabled by Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla, who also favours a regulatory framework to increase e-scooter safety.

Her motion, which failed, sought to have Mississauga call on the provincial government to classify both e-scooters and e-bikes as motorized vehicles that would require licensing and registration.

“The motion aims to strengthen safety rules as the use of these vehicles continues to grow,” Damerla said in a news release in advance of Wednesday’s council meeting. “E-bikes and e-scooters have become increasingly common in Mississauga and across Ontario. As their popularity rises, so have safety concerns and conflicts among riders, pedestrians and drivers.”

The councillor added the devices have become especially popular “as a convenient and affordable mode of transportation” among young people.

“However, we need to find a way to make it safer to use them. Many jurisdictions are already requiring licensing and registration of these vehicles. Ontario is playing catch-up.

“Let’s face it; these are motorized vehicles and we need to start treating them as such.”

Ward 7 Coun. Dipika Damerla wants the provincial government to require licensing and registration before people can ride e-scooters and e-bikes.

Though many of her colleagues on council said they agreed with the spirit and intent of Damerla’s motion, the prevailing thinking was that more groundwork must first be done.

In addition, Mahoney noted, the city is empowered to make any necessary changes itself and putting it solely in the hands of the province could lead to a lengthy wait for any action.

Beyond that, the deputy mayor said, he’s not concerned about the e-bikes rented out by the city — only the e-scooters.

Mississauga’s e-scooter/e-bike rental program, which since summer 2024 has made some 900 electric scooters and 300 electric bikes available for people to rent and use at various places including parks, the downtown core and other neighbourhoods throughout the city, was reviewed by senior city staff this past fall with an eye toward identifying areas for improvement in spring/summer 2026.

Privately owned e-scooters also a concern, says Mahoney

The latest report concluded the program “has demonstrated performance improvements in 2025 with increased ridership, improved parking compliance and reduced complaints.”

Still, concerns over the safe use of e-scooters remain.

Beyond the city’s rental program, Mahoney has also expressed worries about the dangerous use of privately owned electric scooters on roads, sidewalks and elsewhere across the city.

“It’s the Wild West (out there),” he said last fall, not mincing words in describing what he views as a chaotic environment in which people of all ages seem to be riding the micromobility devices with reckless abandon — endangering themselves and others.

Last September, Mahoney called for a ban on e-scooters, saying at the time “these things scare the hell out of me.”


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