ABQ gets more rental scooter options

Albuquerque residents will soon have more rental scooter options. 

The city’s Planning Department announced in a news release that rental scooter company Lime will bring 500 bright green scooters and begin installing 52 stations throughout the city this week. 

Rental scooters made a comeback in September when another rental scooter company, Spin, installed its bright orange scooters around Albuquerque. The last time rental scooters were available was before the COVID-19 pandemic, but they were run by the company Zagster, which stopped operating in the city because of financial difficulties.

According to the release, the station locations and prices can be found on the free Lime or Uber mobile phone app. Residents can report scooter parking violations or other issues by calling 1-888-546-3345 or emailing help-albuquerque@li.me. Reports can also be directed to 311 and an operator can forward any issues to Lime. 

The Planning Department included the following list of rules for scooter riders: 

• Helmets are required for anyone under the age of 18 and are encouraged for all users.
• Ride on the right side of the street, with the flow of traffic.
• Do not operate an e-scooter on a sidewalk when there is a wide right lane, bike lane, or multiuse trail adjacent to the road in the direction of travel; when signs are posted prohibiting bicycles on the sidewalk; or when in a business district (areas where at least 50% of the buildings contain commercial, office, or civic uses).
• If you need to ride on the sidewalk, ride slowly and yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians always have the right of way.
• Follow the instructions of official traffic signals and signs.
• Do not bring e-scooters onto city buses.
• Park responsibly – don’t block sidewalks or other pedestrian pathways, intersections, bus stops or entrances to buildings. Park e-scooters at stations or drop zones, at or near bike racks, or in a landscape buffer. If you need to park on the sidewalk, do so in a location that does not block other movement on the sidewalk.
• If e-scooters are not returned to authorized areas, Spin will continue to bill the user for their time.
• If you see a unit toppled over or parked improperly, help out by righting the unit and reporting the issue.
• Using e-scooters can be dangerous. Roadways, streets, alleys, sidewalks, paths and trails may be dangerous. Users must stay alert at all times and are responsible for their own safety while riding.