Lime scooters return for fun travel in Lansing 

Posted

THURSDAY, Sept. 26 — Scooters are suddenly back on Lansing’s sidewalks, allowing the capital city’s young professionals to whiz along downtown from the office to their cars with the wind in their hair. 

Lime dropped about 300 of their “Designed in California” black scooters with lime-green detailing on the curbs of Lansing and East Lansing on Wednesday — and this time, they’ve decided to follow city rules and pay the proper permits and fees. A small percentage of every scooter ride will help the two cities fix their sidewalks. 

In a press release, Lime also said it would make clear that their scooters are verboten on the campus of Michigan State University, which has an exclusive contract with Gotcha scooters — which also plans to drop electric scooters soon. Last year, MSU confiscated hundreds of scooters from Lime and Bird after they were left on its property without permission. 

But that’s not the case at Lansing Community College, where 19-year-old Mohammed Alseidi enjoyed a ride with friends. 

He said the scooters turn a 10-minute walk into a two-minute ride, enabling them to ride south from campus to downtown restaurants between classes much more easily. 

“Last year, we used them a lot,” said Alseidi, an Everett High School grad. “They were fast.” 

The scooters require a smartphone and an app from the Apple or Google stores. The cost starts at $1. They’re not supposed to be ridden on the sidewalks, but few riders seemed to be taking a chance of downtown Lansing’s pitted streets. Rules written on the scooters forbid them for people under 18 and advise riders to wear a helmet — which no one on LCC campus seemed to be doing. 

The buzzkills at the city of East Lansing also warn not to ride the scooters while intoxicated. 

Lime spokesman Russell Murphy said they would distribute them each morning throughout Lansing and East Lansing while paying “juicers” to pick them up at night, recharge them and set them back near bus stops and other locations where people will use them. 

Murphy said the company’s mantra was “unlocking life”: “You’re saving time, and you can use that time to hang out with friends for lunch.” 

There won’t be many weeks of good weather left to enjoy them, but Murphy defended their autumn release: “We found that demand for scooters would be highest in late summer when folks are back from summer vacation and students are heading back to school.” 

Lime also has shared bicycles it drops off in other cities like Seattle and Orlando but has had more success with scooters. “Scooters are actually much more popular. Electric scooter rides have surpassed shared bike rides.” 

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here




Connect with us