Lime scooters were approved six months ago in Fresno. Where are they?
It’s been about six months since Lime scooters and Fresno came to an agreement to spark a pilot project and there are still no electric scooters zipping around.
The six-month pilot project was supposed to start in October after City Council approval, but the plans included a number of restrictions to keep scooters away from college campuses and popular shopping centers.
Fresno spokesperson Mark Standriff said Lime made the decision not to enter the city under the pilot program. “There have been no other shared mobility operators who have applied to do business in Fresno at this time,” he said on Wednesday.
Popular in many larger cities, e-scooters are motorized vehicles that generally are rented on the street through a mobile app. They were not welcomed warmly by all of the members of City Council.
After Fresno’s vote, the Clovis City Council decided unanimously to make the city a scooter dead zone.
A representative with Lime said Wednesday the company is still interested in coming to Fresno but the timing isn’t yet right. The industry has a number of moving parts and Lime has begun entering into several cities in recent months, constraining supply and staffing.
The representative said Lime could be looking to return to Fresno as soon as late summer or fall.
Electric scooters
Lime has been implemented in cities around the world and the overwhelming majority of riders use them for trips shorter than 5 miles, according to the company.
Concerns around any electric scooters typically are related to safety for pedestrians as well as riders – who may not wear a helmet or who ride unsafely near moving cars. California code prohibits the scooters on sidewalks, so they are supposed to be ridden on the street or designated bike paths.
Despite California law, some riders do use them on sidewalks. People who ride them irresponsibly or who leave the scooters in odd places have drawn the ire of residents in some cities.
Fresno and Clovis each had bad experiences with Bird scooters – another company that tried to roll out its services, but without notifying city leaders. Fresno issued the company a cease-and-desist letter in 2018.
