Lime Scooters - Maybe Not So Practical

I’m not sold on Lime.  I hate to say it because I want to be sold.  

Inspired by the company’s splashy advertising, I envisioned riding the bus downtown during the balmy summer months, hopping aboard a Lime at the Plaza and scooting on over to my office a mile and a half hence.  I envisioned a jaunty ride and a little fun to start and end my day.  But, after a couple of trips, I decided that while part of that is achievable, the reality of Liming is also lightly shaded by several practicalities that make it, at least for me, not an entirely feasible part of my alternative transportation commute.


I ride the bus two or three days a week from the northside to downtown where I transfer buses and motor on east where I work.  I pay $4 a day for the bus.  The bus stops are relatively close to my home and my office, so I don’t mind the walk, but, I thought that on sunny mornings it would break things up by ending my bus leg at the Plaza and riding a scooter the rest of the way.  


I was a bit intimidated by the idea of learning to ride and briefly considered taking the Lime class that was offered at Riverfront Park, but decided I could probably figure it out.  The instructional video on Lime’s website was great and, thus armed with the basics, I did my training ride on an unpopulated section of the Centennial Trail – just in case.  My ride was flawless that first time.  I quickly figured out how to unlock the scooter with the app, how to get it in motion and (importantly!) how to break gently.


My first "real" ride went well from a driving perspective.  I found a scooter right where I expected it and right where the app indicated several stood waiting.  Pushing off, I was soon wheeling my way down Main Street toward Division.  It occurred to me as I rode that if this were to become a common part of my day, I’d need to change out the shoulder tote for a bonafide backpack.  Carrying something weighty on one side was awkward.

While these cheery looking scooters are a hoot to 

ride, they're not very practical as part of a 

daily commute.

Division and Main is a very busy intersection and I nervously waited to cross, concerned that if I bumbled here, the consequences could be great.  The walk beacon lit and I pushed off.  Success.  But when I reached the other side, I met my first trouble.  The street over there was riddled with potholes and divets and cracks, all of which I felt keenly.  The scooter’s little wheels are not rubber like bike tires, so the rider receives the shock of each irregularity.  Nonetheless, I navigated around most of the significant pavement hazards.


The unit was heavier than I’d expected and that created a problem when I took a wrong turn and had to manually re-orient.  Thinking it would be like a bike, I hopped off and attempted to manhandle it.  The heft made it difficult, but more than that the device’s platform moves freely from the handle bar.  The back end hit my ankle, leaving it bleeding.


Chalking that  up to beginner’s error, I moved on.  I motored up over the University Gateway Bridge, enjoying the view and the thrum of the passing train below, but then came to Sprague where I realized I couldn’t scoot across due to road construction.  I’d have to push.   And push I did.  The scooter was heavy and the tail flopped around aggressively aiming for my bloody ankle, ready to take a second bite.


I made it across, but then was faced with more uneven, broken pavement the remaining six detour blocks.  This section is not scooter friendly at all – the sidewalks are narrow, pitted, and people have placed dumpsters and park cars in such a way as to block access.  The streets are similarly discouraging.


Once at work, I locked the Lime and left it to be retrieved by the tender that evening.

Inside, I checked my ride and found that my 1.5 mile jaunt had cost me $6.25 and took me 20 minutes.  Thus, a quick mental calculation revealed that if I used a Lime on days when I rode the bus I’d be paying: $4 for the bus  + $12.50 for the scooter = $16.50 – roughly the cost of a Lyft from my house to work.  Even if I cut that down by not making a wrong turn again and having to push the scooter across a construction zone, the cost was way too high to be a reasonable part of a commute.  Not only that, but twenty minutes on the scooter is longer than my second bus leg takes - even accounting for a layover at the Plaza.


Next year, when the Sprague construction is over and the pavement smooth as silk, I’ll try the ride again.  I’ll give Lime a second chance.  But, as of October 2019, I’m not convinced that scooting is a practical part of a commute.  Fun and sporty though they may be.