Lime Scooters

Scooter rental company Lime rides into Orange County

Lime will deploy 250 electric scooters in Santa Ana, California, with the goal of growing that number to 500.

Scooter rental company Lime is making its way into Orange County after city officials gave the go-ahead to allow a test run of dockless scooters in Santa Ana.

Lime, which operates a fleet of shared bikes, electric bikes and electric scooters, said it will deploy 250 electric scooters with the goal of growing that number to 500.

Lime’s entry comes after Santa Ana city officials approved a pilot program to test the scooters through the end of March, according to the Orange County Register.

“These electric scooters are forward-thinking and innovative, offering an alternative to cars that is accessible, affordable and sustainable,” Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido said in a statement. “The city of Santa Ana is proud to be the first to deploy electric scooters citywide in Orange County, and we are excited to partner with Lime in this pilot program in an effort to improve upon our own transportation infrastructure.”

“Working with the city, we are confident that the pilot program will create a successful model that connects all riders in Orange County to public transit, improves traffic and cuts emissions,” said Sam Dreiman of Lime.

Lime’s rival, Bird, rolled out some of its scooters in December but without approval by Santa Ana officials. Bird then said it “voluntarily paused our service while we work with Santa Ana city officials to create a framework that will allow our vehicles to be a last-mile solution for the entire community,” according to the Register.

The city doesn’t have a permanent policy on scooter sharing companies, so city council officials decided to launch a pilot program to see what impact the scooter rentals will have and to get feedback from residents. Bird and other scooter and bike sharing companies have received mixed responses from communities, from people who find them a convenient way to travel to those who view them as public nuisances and unsafe.

So far, just Bird and Lime have sought permits from the city to do business in Santa Ana.

Lime said it has been working closely with the Santa Ana, including the Business Improvement District, Downtown Inc.

“Dockless scooters will connect neighbors with downtown and make transit more effective for those visiting our city,” said BID Manager Ryan Smolar. “As representatives for a successful downtown business district, we are pushing for transportation alternatives including biking, the OC Streetcar, shared vehicles, and scooters.”

Lime currently operates in more than 80 communities in Southern California.