Lime launches e-scooter share service in Richmond

Lime e-scooters (Shutterstock)

Lime’s micro-mobility sharing services are now available in a second municipality within Metro Vancouver.

Last week, the San Francisco-based company launched its e-scooter sharing program in Richmond, which will eventually grow to a fleet of up to 200 electric scooters for the public to use.

The company was selected by the City of Richmond in September 2021 to carry out a three-year e-scooter pilot program, under the provincial government’s wider framework of a e-scooter pilot project with participating municipal governments across BC.

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“We’re thrilled to launch e-scooters in Richmond, helping residents and visitors get where they need to go on a safe, affordable, and sustainable ride,” said Derek Robertson, senior manager of government relations at Lime, in a statement.

“We believe Richmond’s leadership and vision in allowing shared electric vehicles to support existing public transit with additional sustainable options has the potential to reverberate throughout the province and across all of Canada. At Lime, we know that safety is the key to success for any micro-mobility program, and we’ll be here to help every step of the way as Richmond residents, tourists, and everyone in between tries out our new e-scooters.”

Lime e-scooter in Richmond. (Lime)

As an education and safety measure, Lime has programmed its smartphone app for its Richmond e-scooters to reach a maximum speed of 12 km/hr for the first three rides to enable users to gradually become more familiar with the device.

E-scooters are only allowed to operate on streets with cycling facilities such as bike lanes, local streets without bike lanes (a street without lane lines or a directional dividing line, and a maximum speed limit of 50 km/hr or less), streets without cycling facilities that have a directional dividing line and a maximum speed of 30 km/hr, and off-street paved pathways next to roads or in parks that are signed and marked for shared use with pedestrians. E-scooters are not permitted on sidewalks or on unpaved trails.

Under Richmond regulations, e-scooters can operate up to 20 km/hr on roadways and 15 km/hr on paved pathways shared with pedestrians.

Under provincial regulations, all users are required to wear a helmet, which is provided with each e-scooter.

To prevent the devices from cluttering sidewalks and pathways, the designated parking locations for the e-scooters are marked with the Lime logo on the pavement.

Lime e-scooter in Richmond. (Lime)

“As Richmond explores the introduction of e-scooters on a three-year trial, we welcome Lime and its app-based sharing of e-scooters, launched today,” said Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie.

“Safety of riders and those sharing the road with e-scooter users is paramount. With important safety-enhancing City bylaws and provincial regulations already in place, the City, Lime, and its local partners are dedicated to ongoing education initiatives. E-scooters are a micro-mobility alternative to private automobile transportation that provide significant environmental and sustainable benefits.”

Lime first launched in BC in April 2021 with an e-scooter share service in Kelowna. In July 2021, it rolled out the province’s first e-bike share service on the North Shore.

Lime e-scooter in Richmond. (Lime)

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