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Eager e-scooter users who preemptively downloaded Lime's smart phone app found something surprising last night: rides available to rent in Portland.
That's ahead of the city issuing any formal permits for its four-month pilot program, says Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesperson John Brady.
The agency has been keeping a close eye on scooter companies after announcing in June that any entity that begins operation without explicit permission from the city will be fined and have scooters confiscated.
Related: Get Ready for a Swarm of Rental Scooters—the Next Thing You'll Hate About New Portland
Brady says that when PBOT spotted activity on Lime's app this morning, it worked quickly to "get to the bottom of it," and learned that no scooters are actually on the street yet.
"They didn't jump the gun," Brady tells WW. "Lime is getting ready to launch and so it has scooters on site in warehouses that will manifest on the app."
A spokesperson for Lime declined to comment on the company's plans for launching, citing PBOT's still-pending permitting process.
But we want to know from you, astute readers and commuters: have you seen any scooters zipping by? If so, let us know!