Graffiti scooter tour rolls through Windsor

Windsor, Ont. -

Electric scooters are the newest way to get around in Windsor and people are all ready putting them to good use.

"This is my first time on the scooter and it’s been an amazing experience," says Tam Nguyen.

The inaugural Windsor graffiti scooter tour kicked off Saturday.

"We have a ton of international and local street artist for us to exhibit," says a graffiti scooter tour guide.

It's a first of its kind tour for Windsor Eats, as the tourism company has now joined a partnership with Bird Canada.

Graffiti Alley in Downtown Windsor/Maiden Lane - Saturday July 3, 2021 (Alana Hadadean / CTV News)"People love the street art. Our tour guide is well-versed in art history and is telling a great story about our city and the art within it," says Pina Ciotoli, co-owner of Windsor Eats.

"We truly believe in these types of collaborations because it means that everyone learns how to ride safely and everyone enjoys a little bit of their city from a different perspective. They’ve never seen it from a scooter, right?” says Alexandra Petre, general manager of Bird Canada.

The two-hour guided tour rolls through Windsor streets and alleys highlighting 20 different murals and street art.

"Downtown, Walkerville, Ford City, Ottawa Street and in between those spaces we’ve got artist that have contributed some great street art in around the neighbourhoods," says Ciotoli.

"A lot of times you drive through the city and you see all these murals. You see that they look nice, but you don’t get the story behind it so that’s what’s amazing," says Nguyen.

Graffiti Alley in Downtown Windsor/Maiden Lane - Saturday July 3, 2021 (Alana Hadadean / CTV News)Born and raised in Windsor, Nguyen says there‘s a lot about street art he never really knew until today.

"It’s a great way to celebrate our city and really appreciate all the different types of art. There’s so many little gems unnoticed I’ve never seen before," says Nguyen.

"We’re really happy to see initiatives being taken so people that may not have gone downtown. They’re taking them through spots and go, 'oh wow, I didn’t realize that was here'," says Brian Yoemans, chair of the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Association.

"This is a great added benefit to that tourism landscape. It’s a great product to add to tourism within Windsor-Essex. It gives people a new mode of transportation just to see the city and enjoy it," says Ciotoli.

Windsor Eats plans to run the graffiti scooter tours every Saturday. You can sign up on their website.