E-scooter company partnered with Uber wants to set up shop in Hamilton
Matthew Van Dongen
https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilto...-hamilton.html
A company partnered with Uber wants to bring e-scooters to Hamilton even as the ride-hailing giant bails on running the city’s popular bike-share network.
But Lime says it is a separate company from its partner and investor, Uber, and that its e-scooter interest in Hamilton predates the threatened shutdown of SoBi bike share.
Uber recently announced it would stop running Hamilton’s bike share program June 1 despite a contract with the city through early 2021. Council is mulling legal options, but only last-minute community donations kept the network alive — at least temporarily — for 26,500 SoBi riders.
Days after Uber’s announcement, Lime registered to lobby the city’s top planning official about the “development and deployment of a micromobility system in Hamilton.”
Kick-style electric scooters are now allowed under a pilot program in Ontario — but only in cities that sanction and regulate their use. E-scooters are billed as eco-friendly and affordable, but disability advocates warn the speedy, silent devices can be dangerous to blind and deaf residents on the sidewalk.
Hamilton council likely won’t vote on whether to allow e-scooters until the fall.
Uber and Lime started out as competitors in the ‘micromobility’ rental industry — which includes traditional bicycles, e-bikes and scooters — but the two are now linked as business partners and via repeated multimillion-dollar investments.
That includes an $85-million Uber investment May 7. As part of the deal, Uber also transferred most of its bike-share operations to Lime — but not Hamilton’s network, which it decided to shut down. You can use the Uber app to rent bikes and e-scooters run by Lime.
Industry media reported the deal also gives the ride-hailing giant the option of buying Lime outright in 2022.
Lime government relations director Sam Sadle signed on to Hamilton’s lobbyist registry May 22 with the intention of talking to the top city planner about starting a local e-scooter business.
Sadle said he could not comment publicly about Lime’s plans in advance of speaking to the city.
But a Lime spokesperson said Uber is an investor in the company, not an owner. Lime also registered a year ago to lobby Hamilton councillors about the potential of e-scooters once it became apparent Ontario was preparing to allow the technology.
The Spectator asked if Lime’s business proposal would require city funding or other support and whether the fate of the bike share network is linked to the company’s e-scooter plans. The company did not answer those questions.
General manager of planning Jason Thorne said he has not met with Lime and city staff are focused on finding a new long-term bike-share operator via an planned request for proposals.
Councillors reached by The Spectator said they would be wary of any request to partner again with Uber or an affiliated company, but they did not rule out the prospect of allowing legal e-scooters in Hamilton.
Coun. Chad Collins said he would want to know “more about the relationship” between Lime and its investor if the company is seeking exclusivity or a contract with the city. “Would it mean we’re essentially welcoming back Uber after they left us holding the bag on SoBi?”
Coun. Jason Farr also said he would be leery about proposals from an “Uber-affiliated” company, but added he is not familiar with Lime’s ownership or plans.
The downtown councillor said he is “generally supportive” of the idea of legal e-scooters and added he would be interested in seeing one company offer both bike-sharing and e-scooter options.
/https://www.thespec.com/content/dam/thespec/news/hamilton-region/2020/06/09/e-scooter-company-partnered-with-uber-wants-to-set-up-shop-in-hamilton/lime.jpg)
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