JOE KRISKO | STAFF REPORTER | jkrisko@butler.edu

Members of the Butler community may have noticed an uptick in the number of Lime scooters near campus lately after their absence since July. The scooters were previously taken off of the streets of Indianapolis on July 6th following a request from the city. Now they’re back, and making appearances on Butler’s campus.

Nathan Hasse, Indianapolis operations manager for Lime, confirmed they are in talks with the school to bring the scooters to campus. The company has already partnered with schools like Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s in South Bend.

This news was met with excitement from students like Cole Mackey, a junior pharmacy major who has a commute of about 15 minutes to the pharmacy building.  

“I love using the scooters,” Mackey said. “They’re a blast to ride and with our expanding campus, people will be using them practically more and more.”

Currently, Lime scooters can be found throughout the city and prominently in Broad Ripple. After locating a scooter through Lime’s mobile app, users can then use their phones to scan the QR code on the scooter to begin riding. The user is charged a $1 unlocking fee and an additional 15 cents per minute they are riding.  

Their accessibility and the simple process has made the scooters popular among many. The company prides itself on being usable “within literally seconds” Hasse said.

However, the introduction of the services was not welcomed by everyone in the community, making the city hesitant to accept the business.  

To address concerns, the city asked Lime to remove their scooters from Indy, forcing the company to halt their services less than a month after arriving.  

Later in July, the city put rules in place establishing how the electric scooters could be used. They also eventually set up regulations that offered Lime a way to come back to Indianapolis.  

In order to return to Indy, the scooter company was required to get a license and is expected to to pay an annual fee of $15,000. Additionally, they will be charged a fee of $1 per day for every scooter operating throughout the city.  

Lime has since obtained the license and returned its scooter services to the city as of Sept. 4. However, the company claims the fees are still under negotiation.

Moving forward, the company plans on continuing their efforts to grow in Indy and wants to provide a service that helps the community.  

“We want to provide transportation that is affordable and accessible to all members of society,” Hasse said.  

Regardless of whether or not the scooters come to campus, the company and its mission will nevertheless be nearby in the Indianapolis community.  

Graphic by Haley Stevenson