St. Petersburg now has Lime electric bikes

St. Petersburg residents and tourists can now rent an electric bike.

Lime, an e-bike and scooter company under Uber, debuted its fleet of 300 e-bikes in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, Lime said in a media release.

It’s part of a new bike program announced last month after St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved a three-year contract with Lime to supply a fleet of rental e-bikes. Lime has partnerships with over 250 cities in 30 countries and has a growing presence in Florida in both Tampa and Orlando.

St. Petersburg did not renew its contract with CycleHop, its previous bike-share vendor since 2016, and Lime’s e-bikes have replaced those.

To book an e-bike, riders can use either the Lime app or Uber. Just like with electric scooters in St. Petersburg, riders can’t drive an e-bike on sidewalks. It also has to be parked in designated corrals.

“Lime is thrilled to bring bike-share back to St. Pete and encourages everyone to ride green on our smooth and safe Gen4 e-bikes,” stated Trisha Botty, Lime senior manager of government relations.“Our e-bikes provide a safe, affordable, and sustainable way to get to work, class, or to support a small business in the city, which is how micro-mobility boosts local economies.”