Watch CBS News

Get Ready To Use Uber App To Rent A Lime Scooter

By Rick Sallinger

AURORA, Colo. (CBS4)- You may soon be able to use an Uber app to rent a Lime electric street scooter.

The machines have been banned from Denver for now, but are expected to make a return under strict rules and fees.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_1112
(credit: CBS)

Lime also has a bicycle sharing service in Aurora, LimeBike.

Lonnie Bradley uses them.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_780
(credit: CBS)

"I got from a bus stop and I ride it to a park," said Bradley.

"You just dropped it there," asked CBS4's Rick Sallinger.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_369
(credit: CBS)

"Yeah, left it there," said Bradley.

Now the bike share company LimeBike, also known in Denver for those lime-colored electric scooters, are teaming up with the ride share app.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_1442
(credit: CBS)

Lime lauched its e-scooters in Denver on May 25. Bird's e-scooters landed in Denver on June 1.

However, the debuts were met with a frosty reaction from Denver's government.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_1382
(credit: CBS)

By June 2, because bikes from both companies were being left in streets and on sidewalks by their riders, the city ordered their immediate removal. If the company didn't collect them, city officials started confiscating them.

LIME SCOOTERS RS RAW 01 concatenated 113300_frame_7046
(credit: CBS)

Now LimeBike and other companies have applied for their orderly return. The Lime scooters apparently fit Uber's plans as well as those of Aurora.

Uber Taxi App
File photo of Uber app. (Credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

"This is my dream come true. I went to grad school, bike sharing was my dissertation, so this is a huge part of what I always dreamed of doing," said Brenden Paradies, a planner with the City of Aurora.

LIME SCOOTERS RS RAW 01 concatenated 113300_frame_11546
(credit: CBS)

The program is perfect for Margaret McCollum who has two teens who use the LimeBikes.

LIME BIKES 6PKG_frame_399
(credit: CBS)

"So when they want to go somewhere, I have to pay for it or take them."

LIME SCOOTERS 5VO.transfer_frame_336
(credit: CBS)

Some believe the scooters and bikes will become the transportation model of the future, but not too long ago the same thing was being said about segways.

LINK: Denver's Dockless Mobility Vehicle Pilot Permit Program Overview

CBS4's Rick Sallinger is a Peabody award winning reporter who has been with the station more than two decades doing hard news and investigative reporting. Follow him on Twitter @ricksallinger.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.