Lime launches e-scooter sharing in Richmond with focus on safety, sustainability, and equity

04 May 2022

Lime has officially launched its e-scooter sharing program across the City of Richmond today, which will scale up to welcome a fleet of 200 electric scooters for public use. Working in partnership with the City of Richmond, Lime designed a program that is tailored to fit the unique needs of Richmond and its existing 3-year e-scooter pilot program, which began in April 2021. The new Lime program is built on a foundation of safety, sustainability, and equity.

To celebrate the launch, Lime hosted a First Ride Academy safety training with city staff and local partners like HUB Cycling. Lime will host regular safety trainings and will deploy teams of staff throughout the city to ensure riders are obeying the rules of the road and parking properly, and will work to raise awareness of the dozens of recently installed parking corrals. Lime is also proud to be bringing Lime Access, its global equity program, to Richmond to help facilitate transportation access for all.

"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. “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 micromobility 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. We will regularly host First Ride Academy safety trainings and will constantly communicate with our riders on obeying the rules of the road, riding safely, and parking properly. We thank the city of RIchmond for this opportunity and we look forward to seeing our neighbors ride green and ride safe this year.”

“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 micromobility alternative to private automobile transportation that provide significant environmental and sustainable benefits. We welcome Lime to Richmond, offering our community an opportunity to trial this convenient and enjoyable mobility option that promotes active transportation and transit use, and enjoyment of the outdoors.”

"As Metro Vancouver’s cycling advocates, HUB Cycling is proud to provide road-safety workshops to help Lime users be safe and comfortable on the road. HUB Cycling supports a future where transportation is shared, affordable, and carbon-free. We appreciate Lime’s focus on safe riding and are excited to provide in-person safety training events this summer” said Jenny Tan, HUB Cycling's Director of Partnerships and Events.

Safety

Safety can be an issue for inexperienced riders and riders using the equipment incorrectly.

Lime has designed a comprehensive safety plan for riders and non-riders alike in Richmond, combining its unparalleled global expertise with an intense local focus to ensure solutions tailored to the city’s needs. Lime understands that safety is the key to a successful shared e-scooter program in any city. Starting before launch and continuing throughout the life of the e-scooter program, Lime will proactively educate its riders on the rules of the road.

Lime will program its app to limit the maximum speed of Richmond e-scooters to 12 km/hr for the first 3 rides. Helmets are provided with each e-scooter.

Lime will also regularly host in-person events that teach residents how to ride safely and park properly. Lime’s Signature First Ride Academy events are based on data that accidents, though overwhelmingly rare, are more likely to happen on a rider’s first ride. Based on that data, Lime instituted First Ride Academies to ensure anyone who hopes to use Lime e-scooters regularly has a chance to learn how to do so safely first. Throughout the program, Lime will be in consultation with a range of stakeholders to ensure flexibility and fine-tuning its program to add safety precautions as appropriate, and Lime welcomes any and all feedback from the Richmond community.

Along with e-scooters, Lime will immediately launch its signature Lime Patrol initiative to keep Richmond sidewalks free of clutter of e-scooters and deal with any improperly placed e-scooters immediately. Members of Lime’s operations team will patrol high-use areas on e-scooters to correct e-scooters that are not properly parked and position them upright and in the appropriate place on sidewalks. The teams also remind riders to ride safely and respectfully, and advise on proper parking procedures to ensure Richmond remains enjoyable and visibly pleasing. Lime Patrol will work hand in hand with the City and community partners to focus its efforts on important, high-traffic areas in the City Centre.

Riding bylaws and regulations in Richmond

Richmond’s bylaws identify the conditions of where and how e-scooter users may operate in Richmond during the pilot project. This will enable a safe introduction to riders and those who share the road and pathways with e-scooters.

E-scooters are permitted to operate only on the following routes:

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

Maximum speeds are:

• 20 km/h on roadways
• 15 km/h on paved pathways shared with pedestrians

Provincial regulations require all riders must wear a helmet, must not ride on sidewalks, and be of a minimum age.

Equity and Community

Equity is at the core of Lime’s mission and Lime will be bringing that focus to Richmond via its Lime Access program, a global equity initiative offering discounted rides to eligible residents who receive government subsidies. The goal of the program is to remove barriers to micromobility, understanding that existing transport networks in the city do not always reach every community equally, while rideshare and personal cars are expensive and carbon intensive.

Lime’s commitment to equity is mirrored by a dedication to community. Understanding the vibrant diversity of Richmond’s many communities, Lime will conduct proactive outreach in multiple languages in order to ensure that all residents have access to Lime’s e-scooters and programs like Lime Access.

Sustainability

Sustainability is at the core of Lime’s mission to build a future where transportation is shared, affordable, and carbon-free. Since Lime’s launch in 2017, Lime riders have taken more than 250 million rides, helping to replace more than an estimated 70 million car trips, preventing more than 26,000 tons of carbon emissions. Lime e-bikes and e-scooters are designed in-house to use modular parts for easier repairs, helping to extend their usable life to five years. At the end of life, they are 96% recyclable – including batteries – and we proudly achieve nearly 100% landfill diversion. Lime is transforming our local operations globally to use only zero-emission vehicles and cargo bikes, aiming for a complete date in 2023. Lime was the first company to power its vehicles and facilities with 100% renewable energy.

Most importantly, Lime is also committed to achieving an independently verified science-based carbon reduction target in line with the Paris Climate Accord. Lime has already developed a plan to get there, without the use of carbon offsets, and is already making progress toward this all-important goal.

About Lime

Lime's mission is to realize a future where transportation is shared, affordable, and carbon-free. As the world's leading provider of shared electric vehicles, Lime partners with cities to deploy electric bikes, scooters, and mopeds to serve any trip under five miles. One of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential Companies in 2021, Lime has powered more than 250 million rides in more than 175 cities across five continents, spurring a new generation of clean alternatives to car ownership. Learn more at li.me

About the City of Richmond

The City of Richmond is located on Canada's Pacific coast in the province of British Columbia. As one of the country’s most culturally diverse and geographically unique communities, it is experiencing growth and transformation from a local community with strong agricultural roots to an international city. Learn more at richmond.ca

The City is participating in the Province of B.C’’s Electric Kick Scooter Pilot Project. Effective July 27, 2021, community members are allowed to legally ride an e-scooter on some municipal streets and paved pathways shared with pedestrians as defined by regulations within the City’s Traffic Bylaw No. 5870 and Public Parks and School Grounds Regulation Bylaw No. 8771.

To learn more visit City's pilot project and the bylaw amendments and richmond.ca/services/ttp/cycling/e-scooter.htm