The city of Mobile is going electric. The world’s leading provider of shared electric vehicles, Lime, launched a fleet of e-scooters in the Port City earlier this week. Mobile officials in a press release Friday announced that Lime and local officials have created a long-lasting program to bring the popular e-scooters back to south Alabama.
Lime’s fleet will include up to 300 of its Okai e-scooters, which the city said provides residents and visitors a safe and affordable way to travel. The vehicles are also sustainable. According to Lime’s website, its vehicles use 75% less carbon than a comparable car trip and every vehicle is powered by renewable energy.
To use these vehicles, all Mobilians have to do is download the Lime app to find a vehicle, scan the vehicle’s QR code and start riding.
Robert Gardner is the director of government relations at Lime. In an online statement, he said a partnership with the city has been a long time coming.
“Today’s launch is the culmination of months of work between us and the city of Mobile, Mayor Stimpson and the City Council,” Gardner said. “Lime is thrilled and grateful for the opportunity to provide folks with a safe and fun way to get around that is easily affordable and good for the environment. We have more experience than anyone when it comes to shared electric vehicles, and we know this program’s success will be based on a foundation of safety… We look forward to working with our local partners to ensure our e-scooters help Mobile continue to grow as a dynamic, safe and business-friendly city.”
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson echoed these remarks.
“Mobilians and visitors to our city have already shown that there is a demand for safe, affordable and convenient transportation, particularly in the heart of our downtown entertainment district,” Stimpson said in a press release. “We’ve worked hard to create a partnership that will benefit the city of Mobile, our citizens, visitors and Lime. We look forward to working with their team to make sure these e-scooters can benefit our citizens, businesses and stakeholders for years to come.”
Lime in an online statement said its mission is to realize a future for electric and shared transportation and to decarbonize transportation globally. The company provides shared e-bikes and e-scooters to more than 250 cities in nearly 30 countries, and it became the first micromobility company to post a full profitable year in 2022. It also reached a record of $466 million in gross bookings last year, a 33% increase from 2021.