Plano joins hipster club of cities with intro of electric scooters

Plano inches closer to the hipster zone by joining the elite list of cities with electric scooters. Lime will launch Lime-S, its new electric scooter, in Plano with a ceremony on November 19 at 3 pm at Haggard Park in old downtown Plano.

Lime was the first and only company to apply for and receive a permit from the City of Plano for its bikes in July 2018. Last week, the Plano City Council passed an ordinance to allow scooters, and Lime is on the case. Representatives will be there to demonstrate scooters, offer rides, and answer any questions.

Lime representative Sam Sadle says in a release that they're pleased to have Plano on board.

"We worked with the City of Plano to launch our bikes, and we're pleased to add our scooters, now that the city council has added this mobility solution to its new ordinance," Sadle says. "With the addition of Lime-S, we are providing affordable, space-efficient, and environmentally friendly mobility options that other cities have."

Lime-S costs $1 to unlock and $0.15 for every 1 minute of riding, and riders are instructed to abide by scooter laws upon unlocking the scooter. All scooters are GPS and 3G-enabled, making it simple for riders to find, unlock, and pick up a nearby vehicle using a smartphone. When the ride is finished, riders simply "end the ride" in the Lime mobile app and responsibly park by the street curb, or at a bike rack.

To make sure the scooters are parked responsibly, Lime collects them daily, charging them and redistributing them in approved areas so that they are on the sidewalks fully charged, maintained, and ready to be ridden everyday.

This also helps ensure that they are placed upright and parked responsibly, do not block pedestrian right-of-way, or obstruct any sidewalks or roadways. All that's left is to remove idiotic car drivers from the roads entirely but that is obviously something not within Lime's purview.

Lime is the largest American smart mobility solution provider. It has surpassed one million rides for its bikes and scooters since it launched in Dallas in August 2017.

Realizing the importance of scooters and bicycles coexisting safely with cars, Lime created a $3-million "Respect the Ride" campaign, which includes helmet distribution, product enhancement, safety brand ambassador program, and an ad campaign.

More than 75,000 riders have signed the pledge and will receive free Lime helmets in the mail for showing their support. Over the next six months, Lime will distribute a total of over 250,000 free helmets to riders across the globe.

Additionally, Lime continues to develop features that promote safe riding and encourage riders to use safe and responsible riding behavior. In-app, Lime has added safety tutorials and ID scanning in select cities. With its scooter, Lime has recently launched its Gen 3.0 scooter, which has features designed around safety, including bigger wheels, better suspension for bumps and an added brake.