Secure lockers will require app to access
This summer, if you find yourself at the park with family and friends and World Cup fever hits but you forgot to bring the soccer ball, don’t panic. There might just be a ball available, for free, in a new “EquipSport” locker located in the park.
In May, Mississauga city council voted to allow EquipSport, a company based in Switzerland and partnered with Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart charity, to install 30 sports equipment lockers in parks around Mississauga this summer.
These lockers, which measure 30x1x1 feet, have 3 separate compartments, are battery operated and can be installed on existing infrastructure. Residents must download the company’s app and then use it to “rent” the sports equipment, such as a basketball, soccer ball, volley ball or fitness equipment, such as skipping ropes. There is no cost to use the app or rent the equipment. When users are done, they return the equipment to the locker.
According to EquipSport, theft and vandalism are typically rare, but when they do happen, the company will replace or repair the damaged or missing equipment. If equipment is not returned to the locker, the email address associated with the rental will be barred from using the app again. If theft at a specific locker is an ongoing issue, city staff say they will move the locker to a different location.
To use the lockers, residents will need to download the app and enter a phone number, email address and name. Any problems, including damaged equipment, can be reported directly through the app.
City staff are currently deciding on which 30 parks will get lockers with a focus on “equitable access” and “high destiny populations.” The one year pilot project will be evaluated for “usage, access and community uptake.” If all goes well, Mississauga residents could see an expanded program, with more parks included and more sports equipment options, in the future.
