The City of Reno has issued a cease and desist letter to Lime, formerly LimeBike, for unleashing its electric scooters upon Reno without authorization.
The company announced in a press release yesterday morning that it was releasing its scooters at a morning launch.
“This community has spoken and we’re thrilled to meet the growing demand for transportation alternatives,” said Lime City Launcher and General Manager Cesar Cardona. “At Lime, we’re committed to helping people from all walks of life find reliable, environmentally friendly and low cost ways to get where they need to go.”
The company said that a fleet of scooters was deployed throughout Reno in the morning, but the city immediately sent the company a cease-and-desist letter in response.
“It has come to our attention that Lime has launched electric scooters within the City of Reno. State law classifies electric scooters as ‘motor vehicles’ under NRS 484A.130, and ‘mopeds under NRS 486.038,” wrote deputy city attorney Jonathan Shipman. “Section 10.3 of the Franchise Agreement requires Lime to comply with all applicable Federal, State and local laws. To date, Lime has not demonstrated compliance with the operation and equipment standards for mopeds set forth in NRS Chapter 486, Motorcycles and Similar Vehicles.”
Shipman ordered all scooters removed from city streets by Sept. 20, 2018. But that’s not to say they won’t be back.
“We believe they are now compliant with this cease and desist letter, and we’re pleased they have removed the scooters as these discussions continue,” said city spokesperson Jonathan Humbert.
The Reno City Council is scheduled next Wednesday to have a “presentation, discussion and potential direction to staff regarding Lime operations, the future deployment of electric scooters, and possible termination of the Dockless Bike Share System Franchise Agreement.”
