The scooters still won't be docked, so you may have to contend with scooters obstructing the sidewalk. Lime has the city's approval for the program, though, and it's promising to work with provinces on a "safe introduction" for e-scooter sharing elsewhere in Canada. It hasn't provided a roadmap for that expansion, but it did expect launches in 50 international cities by the end of 2018.

Whether or not Lime can make inroads in Canada isn't certain, and might depend on how well the Waterloo pilot fares. Calgary has already greenlit an e-scooter pilot that would start in early 2019, but Toronto officials have been wary of the idea after seeing the problems that have cropped up in the States. It's also unclear how sustainable the companies really are. Lime and rivals like Bird or Spin may have to show that they've learned lessons from US launches, or at least that benefits (such as reduced car use) outweigh the drawbacks.