Rise And Lime: Ride Share Scooters Hit Boise Today

Today, LIME the dockless electric scooter company made it's debut in Boise. While driving into work I saw groupings of these lime green scooters huddled together on street corners as if abandoned by their original owner. Of course I was curious, so as a excuse not to sit behind my desk for the remainder of the morning, I grabbed a co-worker and decided to try the service out.

The concept is pretty simple. Users can easily find a charged up and ready to go electric scooter close by, use it, then park it when you arrive at your destination. Riders can find the scooters, check in and out,and pay just by using the LIME app on their smartphone.

I picked up my LIME by the Chick-Fil A on Broadway in downtown Boise. Chicking signing up for the service and "checking in" was pretty simple as I was familiar with the possess from using other ride share services in Portland. It only took moments and we were on our way.

Our voyage took us down Parkcenter to the green belt. I noticed instantly, the scooters could desperately use some shock absorbers as I felt every bump on the road. My scooter got up to 17mph which felt like a good speed. The companies site says the scooters can reach up to 14.9 mph so maybe I got a unique one.

Overall it was an enjoyable, fun and cheap way to see the city. However, the worst part of the experience had nothing to do with the scooters. I realized instantly, drivers are not looking for these things on the roads. Even when we had the right of way drivers just did not see us. If you try LIME please remember to ride safely and defensively.