The first e-scooter operator to come to San Diego two years ago is leaving.
Lime announced this week that it has begun removing all 4,500 of its scooters from the city.. Uber’s Jump and San Francisco-based Skip, both recently left San Diego complaining about the same thing Lime has, the city's new regulations.
Last summer, the San Diego City Council approved new regulations for the scooter companies that limit speeds in tourist areas and where scooters can be parked along with fees. In December, the council voted to ban all e-scooters and e-bikes on the boardwalks from Mission Beach to La Jolla.
Lime issued this statement from its CEO, Brad Bao, “As part of our path to profitability, Lime has made the difficult decision to exit San Diego and focus our resources on markets that allow us to meet our ambitious goals for 2020. We appreciate the partnership we’ve enjoyed with San Diego and remain hopeful we can reintroduce Lime back into the community when the time is right.”
The company also is pulling out of 11 other cities including Phoenix, San Antonio and Atlanta.
(Photo credit Getty Images)