VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A new electric scooter company flocked to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Lime Scooters.
A spokesperson for Lime said about 500 scooters hit the streets Friday. Another 500 Lime Scooters just made their debut in Norfolk June 24.
Lime said they have been working with the city of Virginia Beach before their launch.
The company said they worked on creating proper zoning to ensure safe and proper usage. For example, Lime riders will see that the boardwalk is a no-ride zone, and will not be able to park on the boardwalk, this will instead push people to the oceanfront bike lane as a preferred place to ride.
Lime is the largest shared scooter and bike provider in the United States, operating in more than 100 cities on five continents, with more than 60 million rides already taken.
The use of scooters in Virginia Beach will help reduce congestion and pollution caused by using cars on short and medium-length trips, according to Lime.
Here is a quote from Laura Miller Brooks, Government Relations Manager at Lime:
“We’re so excited to partner with the City of Virginia Beach, and we’re thrilled to be welcomed by such a supportive community. Virginia Beach’s cultural and natural landmarks make it an outstanding new market for Lime, and we could not be happier to work with local partners to deliver critical first and last mile transportation services to both residents and visitors alike. We look forward to building a longstanding partnership with the City and contributing to the continued success of Virginia Beach.”
This isn't the first app-controlled scooters to pop up in Virginia Beach. Bird Rides Inc. began to pop up in Norfolk and Virginia Beach in late August, without the company obtaining the proper permits. Bird's approach to inundate a city of scooters with no warning is not new, and often leaves city officials quickly scrambling to pull the plug on the unauthorized service.