SPOKANE, Wash. – It’s been nearly two months since Lime Scooters returned to Spokane under a new contract with the city.
In this contract, one of the main issues addressed was who is responsible for removing scooters from the Spokane River.
Lime is ultimately held accountable in the new contract.
“It seems really similar to past years. We are getting a few reports, typically right around and under bridges. That’s where we see them the most,” said Spokane Riverkeeper water protector Katelyn Scott.
Scott works to maintain a healthy and safe river.
“The hardest part is most places where they’re thrown in, life if we’re talking up at Gonzaga or in downtown Riverfront, the water there is too deep for us to see them once they’re in the water,” she said.
Despite some scooters ending up in the water, both the Riverkeeper and the city agree that Lime is getting them removed quickly once reported.
“Overall, I think the response times have gotten a lot better and the word accountable is being served,” said the City of Spokane’s Brian Walker.
Accountability is what the city aimed for when selecting vendors. In addition, part of this contract’s success is credited to the weekly meetings between Lime and the city.
“We don’t want to lose this amazing resource that we have in our city for micro mobility,” Scott said. “In reality, this is a great way we can get around and we want to make sure that we’re keeping our other resources safe.”
Lime said there have been six reports of vehicles ending up in the river since the new contract started. All have been removed with the company fronting the bill for retrievals.
The company also said the scooters and batteries are designed to be water tight and limit the impact on the river.
There are multiple different ways to report scooters in the water. You can go online and fill out a Report Pollution form on the Spokane Riverkeeper website, contact Lime by email at support@li.me or phone at 888-LIME-345 or you can email the city at wheelshare@spokanecity.org.
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