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At least four people complained in the city of Meridian that Lime's new electric scooters had blocked sidewalks or caused other problems.
Lime, one of the country's largest bike and scooter sharing companies, launched its service Thursday at Meridian, Idaho's largest market, with 200 electric scooters. Customers unlock the scooters via a mobile app and rent them at 15 cents per minute.
Kaycee Emery, a spokeswoman for the city, said Friday that she was surprised at the popularity of scooters in a day. She saw six people use scooters on Friday while she was driving for her lunch break on Main Street, between City Hall and Fairview Avenue, about 800 meters away.
But as in other markets where Lime and his competitors share bikes and scooters, problems arise when customers abandon scooters in places where they should not be left behind. According to Emery, the Meridian Police, Ada County Road Workers and Idaho's Transportation Department removed the scooters from the problem areas.
It's hard to know where, exactly, customers should leave their scooters and bikes shared once their use is complete. A spokeswoman for Lime did not respond immediately to a phone call on Friday. The company's explanatory video shows a customer driving a scooter in the street and leaving him standing on a sidewalk.
City lawyer Meridian says the state's law prohibits driving motorized scooters on sidewalks, Emery said. City and highway officials plan to meet with Lime representatives on Tuesday to discuss the problem and try to find a solution..
Meanwhile, Lime and Bird, another bike and scooter sharing company, have applied for licenses to operate in Boise, said Craig Croner, the city's administrative services manager. In August, the city passed an ordinance laying down ground rules for bike sharing services.
Between the prescription, license applications, conversations with business representatives and a policy document detailing the city's expectations towards businesses, Bone tries to avoid the problems faced by Meridian .
Meridian has actually received more than four Emery said she had not heard of them.
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