Ride share company Lyft debuts electric scooters in East Valley cities

PHOENIX — A new batch of electric scooters have rolled into two East Valley cities, as another Phoenix-area town struggles to keep the vehicles due to strict new regulations.

Ride share company Lyft announced Friday that it put 300 scooters in Scottsdale and Mesa to give residents a “fun, cheap, eco-friendly option to (get) to and from work, dining, events and shopping.”

The scooters are currently available for use, ahead of spring training season in the Valley. It is the company’s first launch in the Southwest region.

“We’re thrilled to bring Lyft Scooters to Scottsdale and Mesa and provide safe, affordable and sustainable mobility options – all within a single app,” Lyft’s market manager Kyle Zuvella said in a statement.

“Lyft is committed to a future with cities built around people instead of cars, and the integration of scooters helps to further this movement.”

Users can find the scooters through the Lyft app on Apple or Android devices.

The scooters can be ridden within the service area outlined in the app. If the scooter ride ends outside of the service area, riders will be charged a fee.

The company advised users to ride them on streets with a speed limit less than 40 mph, on bike paths, in bike lanes or on sidewalks.

They will be available from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. It will cost users $1 to unlock the scooter and 15 cents for each minute of ride time, reservation time and hold time.

Uber, another ride share company, recently announced that it would offer 1,000 JUMP-branded bikes and scooters in Scottsdale and Mesa.

Lime announced this week that it would pull its electric scooters out of Tempe and Razor threatened to follow over the city’s strict new regulations on their industry.

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