Lime Bikes have come to the streets and sidewalks of National City.
The National City City Council on Nov. 21 unanimously approved the roll out of about 300 LimeBikes, a dockless, smart bicycle sharing system.
National City becomes the second city in the county to adopt the San Mateo-based LimeBikes, following Imperial Beach who launched LimeBikes in September starting a six-month trial.
“Biking hasn’t really caught on in our city as much, despite us putting in all of the bike lanes,” said National City Mayor Ron Morrison. “And I think this (LimeBikes) is going to be the opportunity for people to catch on.”
Other cities across the United States such as Dallas, Seattle, Greensboro, N.C. and Washington D.C. all have welcomed the bicycle-sharing system in their respective cities.
A user can find a LimeBike throughout National City using the LimeBike mobile application. The same application is used to unlock a LimeBike.
The pay-as-you-go rides cost $1, or 50 cents for students for a 30-minute ride. There’s a $29.95 per month cost for a monthly membership that provides 100 rides.
When a rider finally gets to their destination, they simply lock the LimeBike’s back wheel and leave it for the next person.
If a rider takes a LimeBike outside of National City, they will get notified through the app that they are out of LimeBike’s range.
A LimeBike operations team will go out and pick that bike up and place it in its service area.
Zack Bartlett, general manager of LimeBike’s San Diego region, said National City is a perfect partner because the city is bike-friendly with its walk-to-bike lanes and in close proximity to transit stations.
“We really work to solve that last mile problem by which I mean we want to help commuters to get from the trolley to their house or to their business,” Bartlett said.
“So, we thought National City was a perfect example of a community we’re ready to serve.”
Bartlett said National City is a geographically flat community which is great for bicyclists.
He also noted that National City is near the 32nd Street Naval Base and that the bikes can be an attractive option for anyone needing to get on the naval base.
Bartlett said LimeBike’s are beneficial to a city like National City because it provides an alternative mode of transportation that helps remove the carbon foot print.
Morrison said the LimeBikes have received a lot of buzz in National City.
“It’s gotten good reaction so far,” he said.
