This week, bright green Lime bikes will begin appearing on Bellevue, Wash., streets. The city just announced a one-year dockless bikesharing pilot, similar to the one Seattle just concluded but with a noteworthy twist. In Bellevue, the program will be exclusively made up of electric-assist bicycles.
The City of Bellevue is encouraging riders to park the free-floating bikes in designated “bike hubs” to avoid clutter on city streets.
Seattle has been testing its own bike hubs in select areas to mixed results. This week, Seattle approved a fee structure for its permanent bikeshare program that includes funds to build 150-200 additional bike parking zones throughout the city. The Seattle Department of Transportation will develop a plan to enforce parking in designated zones.
In Bellevue, Lime will regularly relocate bikes to the designated parking zones. Lime’s e-bikes cost $1 to unlock and then 15 cents per minute of ride time. Lime’s traditional pedal bikes are cheaper, at $1 per 30 minutes of ride time.
