The company that owns those "Lime" rental scooters in Chicago say they could be squeezed out of the city under a proposed new contract with their primary competitor, Divvy.
You see those green-and-white Lime scooters everywhere: on streets, in bike paths and even up against fences and light poles sometimes.
But Lee Foley from Lime says those scooters could be forced off Chicago streets if aldermen approve the Johnson Administration's proposed contract extension with Lyft, the owner of those Divvy share bikes and scooters.
"A rider from Washington Park would have a very hard time riding their Lime scooter into downtown," Foley said, calling attention to provisions in the Divvy contract that limit Lime's ability to serve the "core area" right downtown. Under the proposed extension backed by the Johnson Administration, that core area would expand to a third of the city ... from Rogers Park to South Shore.
"We have a right to connect all of our riders to all parts of Chicago," Foley said. "There should not be a sort of protection of one business over another."
Members of a City Council committee are set to give preliminary consideration to the Divvy contract extention on October 9. Foley says the current deal expires in 2028, meaning there's plenty of time to bring more parties to the table: "There's no rush to get this done."
Calls for delay in vote on potential bike share extension
Calls for delay in vote on potential bike share extension
