Lime to bring back scooters, add e-bikes to Rochester fleet

Lime scooters are coming back to Rochester, after the city council narrowly approved a contract allowing the micro-mobility company to provide scooters and electric bikes in Rochester for the next two riding seasons.

For the first month of use, Lime will be held to a maximum of 200 scooters and 25 e-bikes. After 30 days, the city will allow for up to 300 scooters and 50 e-bikes, depending on usage.

The agreement takes effect right away, meaning scooters and bikes could begin to pop up in downtown Rochester in the coming days. 

Monday’s vote followed a request for proposals (RFP) sent out by the city in February, for which Lime was the only respondent. The recommendation was set to be revealed in the spring, but was delayed for some time due to Covid-19; in response, the meeting’s agenda packet says the Lime app will encourage users to wash their hands or use sanitizer after riding a scooter. 

The vote finished at 4-3, with Councilors Patrick Keane, Michael Wojcik, Nick Campion and Shaun Palmer voting in favor of the resolution. Mark Bilderback, Annalissa Johnson and Randy Staver voted against it. Concern among council members centered around the ongoing construction projects downtown, making traffic an issue for the summer of 2020.

Council Member Bilderback also noted the lack of a robust sanitizing or parking plan for the scooters, which could result in extra headaches for people walking downtown.

“I just don’t think it makes a lot of sense to do it this year with all our construction, as well as no one has come up with a plan to make sure the vehicles are sanitized and where they’ll be parked,” he said. “I would ask people to consider how much of downtown is torn up, and how much more will be torn up as construction continues to move through the city.”

Council Member Michael Wojcik acknowledged possible issues with construction downtown, but was ultimately supportive of the measure.

“I think this is just part of the future, it’s part of what cities are doing, and I know it’s not popular with everyone, but I support it,” said Wojcik.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover photo licensed via Canva