In October 2019, members of Fresno City Council unanimously agreed to move forward with a six-month e-scooter pilot program. Working exclusively with the company Lime, Fresno city leaders expect 500 rentable e-scooters to be placed on the streets this October.
News of this e-scooter launch comes roughly one year after rival company Bird illegally dropped hundreds of its e-scooters onto Fresno’s streets. After learning about Bird’s actions, Fresno City Council forced the Santa Monica-based company to remove its devices.
Unlike Bird, Lime formally asked Fresno City Council for a permit before it attempted to bring in rentable e-scooters. Councilmembers also forced Lime to install special technology that will cause their devices to shut off when they enter restricted areas.
According to the rules of this program, e-scooters won’t be allowed in the following locations:
• Fashion Fair Mall
• Fresno State
• Fresno Pacific University
• Fresno City College
• River Park
Executives at Lime say they are excited to partner with Fresno on the city’s first pilot program. Over the next six months, Lime promises to host safety educational events throughout the city to teach locals how to properly operate e-scooters.
Depending on how well this experiment goes, Fresno City Council may open the pilot program to more e-scooter companies. Councilmembers might also consider expanding the total area e-scooters could cover.
To stay up-to-date on Fresno’s e-scooter policy, be sure to follow Fresno City Council on this website. You could also visit Lime’s official webpage to find out more about the company and its devices.