MILWAUKEE — You may already be seeing some around the city, but you're about to see many more. Electric scooters are re-launching in Milwaukee for the summer.
Some Spin scooters have already popped up across the city, and now Lime is back. Lime announced they're re-launching this St. Patrick's Day and encouraging people to "ride green."
This year's Lime scooters are upgraded to the Gen4 scooter, which offers dual handbrakes, a two-sided kickstand, and bigger wheels for a smoother ride.
Lime also said it will be focusing on equity this year, with an automatic discount of 50% for riders on the Northside.
"Shared e-scooters continue to push Milwaukee’s transportation network into the future and Lime is proud to be a part of the city’s sustainability vision. Our success here comes from our understanding that micromobility must be focused on equity, safety, and accessibility. We look forward to continuing to work with our government and community partners to build a transportation system that works for all of Milwaukee” said LeAaron Foley, Director of Government and Community Relations at Lime.
The pilot study for all three brands of scooters in Milwaukee will end on Dec. 31, 2023, according to the city's website.
Graph from the city showing some of the striking data points they have collected:
| October | November | December | ||
| Total rides | 39,824 | 41,694 | 10,308 | 366 |
| Median trip time | 10 minutes | 6 minutes | 6 minutes | 7 minutes |
| Average trip distance | 1.1 miles | 1.4 miles | 1.1 miles | 1.0 mile |
| Day with highest ride | Saturday, September 17th (2,290 trips) | Saturday, October 1st (2,884 trips) | Thursday, November 10th (1,098 trips) | Saturday, December 3rd (56 trips) |
| City-reported complaints | 8 | 1 | 1 | na |
| Number of complaints to companies | 12 | 6 | na | na |
These are the rules of the road for the scooters in Milwaukee in 2023:
Riding is prohibited on the riverwalk and all sidewalks
Follow the rules of the road
Park your scooter in a way that people with wheelchairs, strollers, or other mobility devices/needs can access the sidewalk and crosswalk.
Don't block curb ramps, transit stops, driveways, or alleys
If you're driving a car - gives scooters and bikes at leasat 3' when passing. Make sure to look for people scooting, biking, or walking when turning your vehicle.
Pro tip: when exiting your parked car, open the door with your right hand so you automatically look over your shoulder for people scooting or biking.
If you see scooter issues, you can report them:
| Operator | Scooter Color | Website | Phone Number | |
| Veo | Blue | https://www.veoride.com/ | (855) 836-2256 | MKEops@veoride.com |
| Lime | Green | http://li.me/ | (888) 546-3345 | help-milwaukee@li.me |
| Spin | Orange | http://www.spin.app/ | (888) 262-5189 | support@spin.pm |
Previous coverage on dockless scooters
The return of the scooters is part of a third pilot program that the Milwaukee Common Council approved last year. The 2022-23 program allows for a maximum of 1,800 scooters citywide, and there's a wider dispersal of scooters, meaning there will be fewer downtown.
Dockless scooters were legalized in 2019 in Wisconsin. Milwaukee allowed them in 2019 and 2021 under its first temporary pilot program.
The city's first pilot program revealed some concerns, especially when people drove the scooters along sidewalks. A survey found that 30% of scooter drivers were illegally driving on the sidewalk.
The three companies allowed to operate scooters in the city - Bird, Lime and Spin - counted 481,706 trips from June through mid-November last year. More than 350,000 total rides were generated in 2019. That number would have likely been higher but the city limited the use of scooters in the downtown area in August of 2021. This was because 30% of riders were illegally driving them on the sidewalk.
The maximum speed for dockless scooters is 15 mph, riding on the sidewalk is prohibited, as well as parking on the Riverwalk. There are digital geofences for the scooters as well, preventing riding in certain areas.
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