Oakland Paves the Way with Adaptive Scooters

In line with the trend in micro-mobility, electric bikes and scooters, and ridesharing, Oakland is the first city in the nation to offer scooters with seats designed to assist the elderly, disabled or those with limited balance.

It’s basically a scooter with a seat, however, to Oakland leaders, it represents more than that. It gives people an opportunity to be mobile and targets a group that has been largely left out with past micro-mobility rollouts.

The program began in early January 2020 but started a year earlier as part of an agreement with the city council and Lime when Lime sought its license to offer scooters in Oakland. For its part, Lime agreed to provide scooters to those with disabilities after the launch of its e-scooters. The delivery of 45 adaptive scooters fulfills that promise.

The scooter can be rented for $32 a day or half of that for verified limited income riders. The user can swipe an order on their phone and Lime will deliver the scooter to their door and pick it up the next day. The user can pay with their car through the app or pay in cash at the time of delivery.

With a top speed of 15 mph and wider handlebars to help with turning and balance, the scooter provides significant mobility to those who haven’t been able to enjoy the e-bikes and e-scooters that have exploded on the scene in the last few years.

Although it was designed for those with limited mobility and those with disabilities, many people use it who are able to use the traditional scooters but feel intimidated or unsure of being able to ride them.

The ride is surprisingly stable and will be a big help to those who have some balance but need assistance in riding a bike or a regular scooter.