Gillian Flaccus / Associated Press file                                A Lime electric scooter on a street in downtown Portland.

Gillian Flaccus / Associated Press file A Lime electric scooter on a street in downtown Portland.

Electric scooters rolling into Everett for a 3-month test

Starting Friday, 100 Lime scooters will be available for rent at strategic locations across town.

EVERETT — Rentable electric scooters will dot Everett streets on Friday as the Fisherman’s Village Music Festival gets into full swing.

Lime, one of the nation’s leading scooter-rental and bike-share companies, is launching a three-month pilot program with 100 e-scooters.

“This is going to be a great opportunity to connect parts of our community without the need for single-occupancy vehicles,” said Nick Harper, deputy mayor, introducing the pilot at Wednesday night’s Everett City Council meeting.

The battery-powered scooters will cost riders $1 to unlock and 25 cents per minute thereafter.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

“Way more people are willing to ride scooters than bikes,” Jonathan Hopkins, Lime’s head of Northwest strategic development, told the council during the briefing.

They do not require a docking station at the end of the ride. Rather, riders are supposed to leave them in the “furniture zone,” the space between the curb and the sidewalk — where flower pots, light poles and bike racks are located.

Lime must move scooters that are improperly parked within two hours after being notified, according to a draft agreement between Lime and the city.

The city is instituting a 10 cents fee for every ride that starts in city limits, according to the document. And the company is allowed up to 300 scooters during the pilot program. More could be considered depending on usage.

To use the scooters, a phone app is needed to unlock them. Then riders step on and kick off to get going, according to a video on Lime’s website. A throttle to accelerate and hand brake are located on the handlebars.

Lime plans on sharing ridership data, so the city will be able to track the number of trips and routes used.

Each night the scooters are collected and charged, then redistributed on city streets.

“It means the cityscape gets a reset each day,” Hopkins said.

Where scooters are placed tends to mirror density, according to Hopkins.

Users are required to wear helmets and cannot ride scooters on the sidewalk, according to city code. Riders are allowed to use bike lanes or city streets that have speed limits of 25 mph or less. Scooters are not allowed to be used in city parks.

Many city councilmembers were excited about the pilot, though some expressed concern about inappropriately parked scooters and safety.

“I think this will be a great thing for our community,” said Councilmember Brenda Stonecipher during Wednesday’s meeting.

Last week Seattle announced the city would begin putting together a scooter-share pilot program, which could launch early next year. The city already has dockless bike share.

In Tacoma, e-scooters were introduced last fall. There, they are allowed to be ridden on sidewalks.

In Snohomish County, Bothell is considering implementing a scooter pilot. The City Council is expected to decide in early June, according to city spokesperson Catherine Jansen.

Lizz Giordano: 425-374-4165; egiordano@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @lizzgior.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Students from Explorer Middle School gather Wednesday around a makeshift memorial for Emiliano “Emi” Munoz, who died Monday, May 5, after an electric bicycle accident in south Everett. (Aspen Anderson / The Herald)
Community and classmates mourn death of 13-year-old in bicycle accident

Emiliano “Emi” Munoz died from his injuries three days after colliding with a braided cable.

Danny Burgess, left, and Sandy Weakland, right, carefully pull out benthic organisms from sediment samples on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Got Mud?’ Researchers monitor the health of the Puget Sound

For the next few weeks, the state’s marine monitoring team will collect sediment and organism samples across Puget Sound

Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Robert Grant gestures during closing arguments in the retrial of Encarnacion Salas on Sept. 16, 2019, in Everett.
Lynnwood appoints first municipal court commissioner

The City Council approved the new position last year to address the court’s rising caseload.

A heavily damaged Washington State Patrol vehicle is hauled away after a crash killed a trooper on southbound I-5 early Saturday, March 2, 2024, in Marysville, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Trial to begin in case of driver charged in trooper’s death

Defense motion over sanctuary law violation rejected ahead of jury selection.

Dick’s Drive-In announces opening date for new Everett location

The new drive-in will be the first-ever for Everett and the second in Snohomish County.

The peaks of Mount Pilchuck, left, and Liberty Mountain, right, are covered in snow on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Take Snohomish County’s climate resiliency survey before May 23

The survey will help the county develop a plan to help communities prepare and recover from climate change impacts.

x
Edmonds to host public budget workshops

City staff will present property tax levy scenarios for the November ballot at the two events Thursday.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.