This article was originally published Oct. 22, 2019 + updated Dec. 3, 2019 at 3 p.m.
It was summer 2018 when they came, landing guerrilla-style overnight — a whole fleet of them — without warning, all over downtown Raleigh. We’re talking about Bird scooters, of course. Not long after came the Limes, which more than doubled the number of scooters you could find corralled on street corners, buzzing down the road and, admittedly, sometimes toppled over in people’s lawns. Before we knew it, they were ubiquitous. 🛴
The rest, as they say, is scooter history. Since Bird + Lime both entered the market without collaborating with officials, the City Council met last winter to develop rules for where scooters can be ridden and parked + limited the fleet size for each company to 500. After months of negotiating, both Bird and Lime decided to leave the Raleigh market (although Lime continues to operate bikes and scooters around the N.C. State campus).
It’s been six months since the two scooter companies announced they’d be leaving the Raleigh market, but there’s a chance they won’t be gone long. In a recent interview, newly-sworn-in Mayor Mary Ann Baldwin said she has been talking with representatives from both Lime and Bird in an effort to attract them back to Raleigh.
With four new members + Mayor Baldwin, the current City Council is positioned to reduce the $300 fee per scooter (one of the highest restrictions for scooters in the country) and remove a 1,500-unit cap on the number of units allowed to operate within the city.
Since October, Gotcha scooters have been operating ~150 units in Raleigh under an exclusive agreement that was previously struck with the city. Stay tuned. We’ll keep you posted as scooter news — er — rolls in.
Here’s what you need to know in the meantime:
📲Yes, there’s an app for that. Get it on Google Play + download it in the Apple Store.
💸Well, it ain’t free. Scooters cost $1 to unlock and 15 cents per minute for the ride.
🚶There’s a right of way. Scooters are permitted in bike lanes, but it is illegal to ride on sidewalks or greenways.
⛔Hang on a second. Riders will be incentivized to park in designated zones, marked in the signature Gotcha blue color around the city. But take heed — you might be charged more for not parking where you’re supposed to.
So where does that leave Raleigh’s citizens? Still split on the issue — with fans saying scooters provide a useful means of transportation and keep more cars off the road, while others argue they are hazardous to pedestrians + create traffic problems. Where do you stand? Be sure to share your thoughts in the survey below. ⬇️
Poll
