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LimeBike arrived in Reno. Lime bikes scattered through Reno can be rented for 30 minutes for $ 1 using an app. Here are what bikes look like.(Photo: Andy Barron)Buy a photo

All lime scooters disappeared from the road Tuesday night after the city of Reno sent the bike and scooter sharing company a letter of waiver for violating the Nevada law.

"We hear the city's call to stop and give up and not deploy tomorrow," according to a statement from Lime, the company that created Lime Bikes and Lime Scooters.

The City of Reno, Sparks and the University of Nevada, Reno, wish a legal clarification to know if Lime standing electric scooters are considered mopeds or electric bikes under state law.

Mopeds require DMV registration, unlike e-bikes. Nevada law has no classification for electric scooters.

RELATED: Lime Scooters Launches Midtown Reno to Help Reduce Construction Congestion

The Nevada DMV told JGR that it classified scooters as e-bikes, but that cities want more discussions with state legal teams, said Steve Driscoll, Sparks City Manager. According to a spokesman for the city of Reno, Reno and UNR also wish to have other conversations so that all local governments are on the same page.

Washoe County also echoed the cities' disappointment in the premature launch of scooters and is true to their decision to prevent Lime from continuing his scooter program.

"Our understanding was that the city of Reno and Lime were working on logistics to comply with the regulations in force and we would be well informed of the launch date," according to a Washoe County statement. "As stated in our agreement, the contractor must demonstrate its ability to comply with local and national regulations and must inform users of the requirements before using the electric scooter."

Reno and Sparks also want more insurance and prescriptions to clarify where scooters have to drive, park and how fast they have to go. Some cities allow scooters on the sidewalks, others do not. Some cities need helmets, including the Reno-Sparks Indian colony, unlike Reno and Sparks.

Driscoll said he hoped the scooters would move more slowly than 15 mph to avoid hospitalizations, like what South Lake Tahoe experienced during its Lime scooter pilot program.

He was told that Lime could reduce the speed of the scooters but did not see the evidence.

The lime remains silent about why she launched the scooters earlier than to recall that local businesses in the Midtown and Reno neighborhoods have been demanding scooters alongside Lime bikes.

It could also be related to investors injecting $ 335 million – for a total value of $ 1.1 billion – into developing their electric bike and scooter.

"Uber joins the current round, making a considerable investment," according to the announcement made by Lime investors in July. "Uber will work with us as a strategic partner in the electric scooter business to provide people with a wider variety of modes of transport at their fingertips and make car-free life easier and easier."

Going prematurely and asking for forgiveness later is not an unusual strategy for scooter and bike sharing companies and stems directly from Uber's business strategy. Lime and Bird, another scooter company, has pre-emptively released thousands of electric scooters in San Francisco and Miami, and received letters from them for creating a public nuisance and violating local laws. Reno Tuesday.

RELATED: LimeBike Reno a month later: cyclist numbers, "bike litter" and electric scooters

"We are interested in working with the city and all of our partners in northern Nevada to ensure continued service and the best outcome for all," said Lime. "We believe the code allows scooter operations as part of our franchise agreement, and we are committed to working with the city to find a solution."

More discussions at the Sparks and Reno City Council meetings will take place next week with Lime's presence. Reno City Council's agenda item includes "discussion and potential orientation of staff regarding lime operations, the future deployment of electric scooters and the eventual termination of the system franchise agreement" sharing bikes without a dock.

Meanwhile, the UNR campus is still a lime-free zone. The company has put a red geofence around the campus to prevent scooter drivers from completing their session and locking the device. But the Lime application can not separate parking blocking scooters from bike parking, so that students and teachers can not drive their bikes on campus.

"It was a surprise to us that Lime chose to remove all lime-based products, including bicycles, when electric scooters were the problem," according to a spokesman for UNR. "We are dismayed that Lime has chosen to take this drastic step without any communication at the university."

For the moment, the Réno region must be content with pedal-powered bikes, which all the government agencies recognize to work properly.

Mike Higdon is the reporter of urban life at the RGJ and can be found on Instagram @MillennialMike, on Facebook at Mike Higdon, Reno Life and Twitter @MikeHigdon.

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