Lime bike share has shut down - and will be back with scooters

Seattle has been experimenting with bike-share programs. The idea is that anyone can pay online to use one of these bikes for transportation and leave them at the rider's destination.

The three vendors contracting with Seattle are JUMP (red bikes), Lime (lime green), and Lyft (black and pink).

JUMP is still in operation, Lyft is "coming soon", and Lime has just shut down in Seattle.

In spite of pious exhortations on Seattle's webpage about parking bicycles responsibly, local experience of these bikes is to see them sprawled in bushes and across sidewalks.

Lime says that they have removed their fleet as of December 31, 2019 - but if you see one hiding in the bushes, try this contact info to report it.

• Lime (green): 1-888-546-3345; support@limebike.com

JUMP bikes don't seem to be as popular - but here's their contact info:

• JUMP (red): 1-833-300-6106; jump.com/support

Lime is coming back in the spring, with "free-floating scooters and improved bike options that are a priority to the City of Seattle." Lime / LimeBike are an international company.

They are pulling their bicycles in other cities besides Seattle and appear to be switching to small scooters and some electric assist bikes.

So hold on to the contact information  - you'll need it for scooters.

--Diane Hettrick