Lime bikes and scooters set to hit Spokane streets on Monday

Erin Robinson by Erin Robinson

Lime bicycles and scooters will hit Spokane streets on Monday.

In April, the Spokane City Council approved a two-year contract with Lime. According to the deal, Lime will bring three different vehicles to the city; their Lime-E electric bikes, Gen 2 scooters and new Gen 3 scooters.

Lime’s intial proposal outlined the company’s approach to safety, parking and operations. Beyond the app education required for every user, Lime stated they hope to explore community partnerships with STA, the Downtown Spokane Partnership and Visit Spokane to educate users. Lime specifically detailed a potential partnership with Visit Spokane called “Scoot Spokane,” which would promote one- to two-mile treks for visitors to get them beyond their hotel to explore the city’s neighborhoods and views.

Helmet distribution was also explicitly detailed in the contract. Though Lime will not offer helmets with each individual bike or scooter, the company hopes to, again, partner with Visit Spokane to use their Visitor’s Center as a Lime Hub, where guests could pick up helmets.

In March, the Spokane City Council changed their helmet law. Now, people using Lime bikes and scooters will no longer be cited for riding without a helmet. Riders using their own personal bikes and scooters can still be fined. At the time of the vote, several council members said they are open to repealing the helmet law altogether eventually.

RELATED: Spokane City Council changes helmet law, rules for loitering in city hall

Lime also stated they plan to work with the city for planned bike and scooter parking. The company said they will have preferred parking zones, detailed no parking zones and will also require users to take a photo of their parked bike or scooter at the end of their trip to ensure they are left in the correct places.

Bikes and scooters will be managed by a “Daily Patrol Team,” according to Lime. The team will deploy scooters to corrals and do sweeps throughout the day. The sweeps will include cleaning bikes and scooters, re-parking misplaced vehicles and bringing broken ones back to the warehouse. There will also be local brand ambassadors and “juicers;” community members who recharge scooters to earn additional cash.

On top of these positions, Lime anticipates hiring 20 full-time employees to manage their fleet of 1,500 vehicles. In the 2 year contract, Lime will pay an annual fee of $17,000 and 75 cents per vehicle per day.

RELATED: 10K rides and counting on Spokane’s new Lime bikes

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