The lime scooters are officially launched in Bloomington.

On Saturday morning, Lime deployed 450 electric scooters in the city and near the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington. According to launcher Lauren Bell, none have been specifically placed on the UI campus, but users are allowed to use them on campus.

According to Bell, for each launch, Lime employs people living in the new city to learn more about the ideal places to start scooters. This morning, Bell said it helped unload the scooters near bike racks around the city.

"People were taking them out of the van," she said. "We could not get them out fast enough."

Bloomington is no stranger to the growing trend of electric scooters. The scooters were launched in the city on September 13th.

"Bloomington is a forward-thinking city that shares Bird's mission of taking cars off the road to reduce traffic and carbon emissions," Bird spokeswoman Bill said in an email to IndyStar. "During our stay here, we were inspired by the community's willingness to negotiate short-term car trips for bird rides."

Chuck Carney, a spokesperson for Indiana University in Bloomington, said the students quickly switched to mobility on the large Bloomington campus.

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"They are well used by students," said Carney. "As soon as they appeared here, the students immediately picked up."

Bell said that scooters can be a simple solution for students near university campuses where parking is often limited.

Lime currently has scooters in other major university cities, such as Columbus, Ohio. In Indiana, Lime offers bicycles in South Bend near the campus of the University of Notre Dame.

Lara Beck, a spokeswoman for Lime, said the company was working with city and university officials when she orchestrated a new launch to ensure compliance with local ordinances.

Beck said the company was working with Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton, who tweeted about the launch of the scooters this morning.

Bird's spokesperson also said the company was working with the city "so that Bird can be a reliable, affordable and environmentally friendly transportation option for the community".

IU Bloomington changed the school's policy shortly after Bird's arrival in town. As in Indianapolis, IU considers scooters as motorized vehicles and does not allow them to be used on sidewalks.

Instead, Carney said scooters can be mounted on designated streets and bike lanes. They should be parked near bike racks and cleared sidewalks, he said.

Carney added that the school 's updated policy, which came into effect this week, requires riders to exchange contact information and contact the IUU police department in case of an accident. ;accident.

"We want to make sure people are safe," he said. "We see them quite often on the sidewalks, we just ask people to be careful."

Lime displays security instructions in its application and in the video on its website.

Bloomington runners looking to ride for the first time can download the Lime app to get started. Users can use the Lime Map feature to search for a scooter near them.

Each trip starts with a payment of $ 1 and adds 15 cents for every minute of use.

"We have seen ridiculous traffic," Bell said of Lime's first day in Bloomington. "People are really excited about them."

Contact Carley Lanich at 317-444-6487 or [email protected]. Or follow her on Twitter at @carleylanich.

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