Lime launches app-activated electronic scooter service in Montreal today

The streets of Montreal have been electric scootered.

Starting today, Lime, a brand of battery-powered, app-activated scooters will be available to rent as part of a pilot project across three boroughs on the island.

Lime scooters will be available through the company’s app in Ville-Marie, Cote-des-Neiges-NDG, Villeray-Saint-Michel-Parc-Extension, and Westmount as the pilot project will run scoot until November.

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To avoid being littered across the city’s streets however, the e-scooters are to be parked exclusively in designated parking zones, four at a time. (Just like Montreal’s Jump bikes.)

Though it certainly sounds fun to rip across town on the new electric scooters, Lime’s presence in Montreal does come with some fairly strict rules.

beanvaultcoffee/Instagram

Users who fail to comply with the designated parking spots will face fines through the Lime app.

Riders will be required to wear a helmet, be 18-years-old and older, and will need a driver’s license or a learner’s permit to be able to rent the little scooters, which top out at 20 km/h.

The battery-powered scooters will be prohibited on sidewalks and on roads that exceed 50 km/h speed limits.

Users will also be required to take a short online training and road rules course before they can activate their first ride.

Lime.com

“Lime is revolutionizing mobility in cities and campuses by empowering people with a greener, more efficient, and affordable transportation option that also improves urban sustainability,” reads the company’s news release.

“By partnering with local key stakeholders and systematically deploying a fleet of smart-scooters and bikes that are enabled with GPS, wireless technology, and self-activating locks, Lime dramatically improves urban mobility by making the first and last kilometre faster, cheaper, and healthier for riders.”

Lime electric scooter share. (Kris Krug / Lime)

Since the company’s first launch in June 2017, Lime has expanded to over 100 cities across the globe where users have taken 65 million scooter rides, according to the press release.

Lime’s scooters will cost $1 to unlock and 30 cents per minutes afterwards.