There’s something new tearing up the streets in The Electric City

Many have looked to downtown Great Falls over the last six month or so and have seen something different, something new. Not so much buildings or businesses, but more on the street level with scooters...Ride Scooters. This method of ride sharing has become more and more popular over the past five years, but only more recently in The Electric City. As a local to Great Falls, I wasn't hesitant on this new fun way of transportation and entertainment, but I always felt there would be a resistance to it by the town as whole knowing that most of our residence enjoy the independence and reliability of the automobile.

Thinking back almost 30 years ago, there was a similar situation when volunteers with the fire department fixed up bicycles, painted them yellow, and unleashed them to public use for an early version of ride sharing. This resulted in unwanted bike retention, vandalism, and the poor bikes just ending up in the various rivers for someone to pull out. Needless to say, the program vanished in a short time.

Some years later, these scooters arrive on streets and immediately I see people laughing, smiling and zinging all over downtown. One would think there would be a limited number of these to go around, but in fact they are lined up in front of various bars and establishments ready for you to take a ride. I've tested them out on a few occasions and love to grab one just to let off some steam. When your downtown this summer, with a simple app download, and for less than a dollar a minute, have some fun and rent a Ride Scooter.