Juan Restrepo of Lime testifies on shared scooter safety
Juan Restrepo says Lime's shared scooters are capped at 15 mph, use geofencing, and have good safety records, and urges expansion of e-scooter share with clear safety metrics.
Good afternoon, Majority Leader Abreu, Chairs Epstein and Felice, and Council Members Brewer and Hanif.
I'm Juan Restrepo, and I lead government relations in New York for Lime, the world's largest shared micromobility company and the largest operator in the city's e-scooter program based out of Eastern Queens and the Bronx.
With dozens of bills before you, I want to draw one clear line.
Legal high-speed devices are not the same as regulated shared scooters.
Our scooters are capped at 15 miles per hour, and new riders are at 10 miles per hour for their first three rides.
Geofencing keeps them out of sensitive areas and creates slow zones.
Riders who break the rules face warnings, fines, and suspensions.
And our UL-certified batteries are handled only by trained professionals.
These safeguards show up in the safety records.
An NYU Ruden Center report found that more than nine in 10 e-scooter collisions in New York happened outside of the shared scooter zone, and that shared fleet incident rates are comparable to cycling.
Our program is trusted and that's why it's growing.
Bronx riders took more than 1.9 million Lime trips in 2025, and 41% of them started or ended near a subway station, showing their use.
Queens ridership nearly doubled between 2024 and 2025 to 648,000 rides for all our operators.
This program also delivers on our city's affordability goals.
Through Lime Access, eligible low-income New Yorkers get a free 30-minute ride every day, and Access riders have made up as much as 13%
of our ridership.
Our Lime Prime subscription program offers longer scooter rides at the cost of a MetroCard swipe.
That's why we're excited that the Vision Zero Reimagined report commits to expanding e-scooter share.
Five years after Local Law 74 passed, service is still limited to two zones.
We urge the Council to work with DOT on a near-term expansion plan with clear metrics for safety and equitable access.
Finally, we share your goal in ending sidewalk riding.
Line began piloting sidewalk detention technology in the Bronx in 2023.
We're open to partnering with Majority Leader Abreu on 2025.
Thank you very much.
And I'll turn it over to Council Member Epstein.
Oh, sorry, my apologies for that.
On Zoom, we have Abigail Jackson.
You may begin.