WheelShare: A Summary of 2024 and Looking Ahead to 2025
Ryan Shea, Planner II, 509.625.6500
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 at 11:58 a.m.
Spokane’s WheelShare program, operated by Lime, provided shared electric scooters and bicycles throughout 2024 marking its fourth consecutive full year of operation since the program’s launch in 2019. A request for proposal (RFP) process wrapped up in June 2024 with Lime being chosen as the operator of the program. Despite a late start in 2024, riders logged almost 370,000 trips totaling 509,000 miles on shared bicycles and scooters. Additional stats from last season include:
- 27% of trips were used for shopping, errands, and entertainment
- 31% of trips were commutes
- 85% of riders said Lime makes it easier to live and stay in Spokane
- 75% of riders said Lime makes them more likely to visit local businesses
- The average rider age was 32 and 25% of riders were older than 39
For more analytics about the program, please visit Ride Report’s Open Data Portal.
Per the new contract, Lime committed to additional requirements to enhance the safety, ridership, and usability of the WheelShare program. Some highlights include:
- Increased Emphasis on Proper Parking
Lime committed to fining riders who repeatedly park or leave devices in areas like the middle of a sidewalk or path. The system starts with a warning and progresses to monetary fines to help curb bad behavior that other cities have had success with.
- Phasing in Sidewalk Detection Technology
Historically, Lime’s scooters and bicycles relied on only GPS for providing location data. The new contract requires Lime to phase sidewalk detection technology into their devices to curb sidewalk riding by either playing an audible alarm or slowing the device down in congested areas like Downtown. Lime began using a small number of devices to collect data during late summer 2024 and will continue phasing this technology in during the 2025 season.
- Defining the Water Retrieval Process
Finding a quick and efficient way to get Lime devices out of our waterways has been a priority for the City of Spokane. In this new contract, Lime agreed to a requirement to retrieve scooters within 24 hours of being reported, with the City handling retrieval if Lime failed to respond to the device within this window. Over the 2024 season, this new policy resulted in about 30 devices being retrieved more quickly and efficiently from Spokane’s waterways. In dangerous areas of the Spokane River, the City uses a licensed and insured environmental cleanup contractor.
- Equity Areas
Per the new contract, at least 10% of Lime’s deployed devices must be in designated equity focus areas. These are areas of Spokane with high levels of poverty and low rates of private vehicle ownership, necessitating an increased need for transportation options.
- Introduction of Seated Scooters
Due to the success in other markets, Lime equipped part of its fleet with seat-kits in 2024. For 2025, we are still assessing the desire for more seated scooters but thus far the reviews have been positive.
What’s in Store for 2025
The City of Spokane, Lime, and local partners will continue working to improve the WheelShare program in 2025. This coming year, Lime plans to improve their scooters with upgrades to the frame, handlebars, waterproofing, suspension, wheels, range, brakes, stability, and kickstand. Scooters and bicycles are planned to be launched when weather permits in March.
Together, the City of Spokane and Lime are committed to continuing operation of the WheelShare program as an easy, safe, and sustainable way to access Spokane.
For more information, visit the WheelShare project page.
Ride safe!
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