You may have spotted people zipping through downtown Little Rock on lime green electric scooters. Yesterday, the City of Little Rock debuted an electric scooter-share program from the company Lime. The scooters are part of a six-month pilot program so the city can monitor usage and decide whether to roll out the full program.
Lime, based out of San Francisco, offers a fleet of rentable transportation options including electric scooters, bikes and electric-assist bikes, though Little Rock’s pilot program only includes the electric scooters.
The company’s goal is to empower residents of urban cities and campuses with greener and more affordable transportation options to improve urban sustainability. Lime is currently in more than 125 markets including Seattle, Los Angeles, Dallas, Paris and Berlin.
Mayor Stodola’s weekly e-newsletter teased to the coming scooter-share program back in December:
A new mode of transportation will debut in Little Rock as the new year begins. Mayor Stodola has worked with Lime out of San Francisco to develop a six-month pilot program for electric scooters that will provide a convenient and affordable transportation option for getting around the city. City staff are working to minimize issues before the launch and the City will have the opportunity to monitor and adjust before deciding whether to launch a full program.
Renting the scooters is as easy as finding a scooter, downloading the Lime app, scanning the QR code on the scooter and unlocking it. After you’re finished with your ride, find a safe place to park your scooter and put down the kickstand. Riders must pay $1 through the app to unlock and will be charged $0.14 per minute to ride. Lime also offers an affordability measure for low-income residents called Lime Access, that slashes the price of unlocking and riding the scooters in half.
For more about Lime or how the scooter-share program works, head to Lime’s website or watch the short explainer video below.