Lime acquires rival Neuron. What does that mean for e-scooter rentals in Waterloo Region?

Bright orange scooters across Waterloo Region will soon get a new look. CTV’s Heather Senoran explains why.

Those familiar orange e-scooters, e-bikes and accessible vehicles will no longer be lining the streets in Waterloo Region.

Neuron Canada, the company that supplied the e-fleet, was recently acquired by rival Lime Canada. The region said Lime has expressed interest in taking over the local rental program and they are working together on a plan that is “consistent” with the previous one.

The e-scooters returned to the streets of Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge in April, marking their fourth year of operations in the area. According to Neuron, riders traveled 236,000 kilometres locally in 2025 and almost one million kilometres since the program started.

Jeyas Balaskanthan, with the Uptown Waterloo BIA, said the e-scooters help people get around the neighbourhood. He specifically pointed to their placement at Waterloo Town Square.

“This is a central transit corridor that has an LRT station and bus station,” explained Balaskanthan. “When folks get off the bus, they’re able to get on the e-scooters and go to their places faster, easier.”

Even though the agreement with Neuron was supposed to end in October 2026, the company is already in the process of removing its e-fleet from Waterloo Region and 11 other communities across Canada.

Lime said it is working closely with regional and city officials on the transition, adding that its focus is on building a “safe, reliable and responsive” service for the community.

While an exact launch date has not yet been set, the company told CTV News it hopes to bring its bright green e-fleet to Waterloo Region in the “coming days and weeks.”

“We understand that people all over Canada and in the Waterloo Region rely on shared micromobility and we want to get residents riding Lime as soon as possible,” said Rachel Rappaport, the company’s senior regional lead of government relations, in a statement to CTV News.

When they do arrive, riders will notice a significant upgrade. The company said the local launch will include Gen4 e-scooters and Gen4 e-bikes.

Riders who still have a balance left in their Neuron account, Lime noted, will be fully reimbursed. Those funds will not transfer over to the new platform.

The cost to ride the new e-scooters is not yet available. Lime said the company will be introducing a subscription plan for frequent riders and a program that will make it more affordable for anyone receiving government subsidies.

The company also promised to introduce a program for riders with mobility needs, including pre-booking accessible vehicles and direct delivery to their homes for free.

Balaskanthan hoped e-scooters would return to the streets this summer.

“Going into July and August, it’s the heavy activity event season in the region, between the cities,” he explained. “It’ll be great to have those e-scooters back again in the transit hubs, in the urban area, so people are able to move around faster.”