CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) – An electric bike company is expanding its rental bikes to West Ashley after two years of offering bikes in downtown Charleston and local bike shop employees say they’re happy to see more ways for people to enjoy this mode of transportation.
Lime E-bikes launched in Charleston in the spring of 2022, and since then, the company has logged about 197,000 rides up, down and across the peninsula. Operations Partnership Manager Adriana Lopez keeps detailed data on who rides when and where.
“It is interesting that it is not only about tourists, as many people think that this service is mainly for tourists, and that is why we are in the city center. But this is not true. We see that there are a lot of passengers, as more 70% of our trips are made by local residents.”
That’s part of the reason the company is continuing its partnership with the city of Charleston to create bike rental centers in West Ashley.
“We want to go to West Ashley because we really want to serve the community and we’ve noticed that there’s a lot of interest in going there,” Lopez says. “It’s not just residents who want to enjoy the Greenway and will enjoy the Bikeway, but there are also a lot of people who want to access to their jobs.
West Ashley features two paved, independent bike paths, the West Ashley Greenway and the West Ashley Bikeway. At Charleston Bicycle Company, the city’s oldest bike shop, employees encourage people to take advantage of the safe, protected trails to get to most neighborhoods.
“There are so many different group rides that different riding groups do on those trails. Everyone loves them and wishes there were more of them,” says Oliver Gill, an employee at Charleston Bike Company.
Gil leads some local tours and says more bikes around town are exciting. Charleston Bicycle Company and Lime are hosting a bike shop drop-off at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, May 19. People are invited to join the community ride and share their ideas on where to place Lime bike rack centers in West Ashley.
“The idea is also to listen to the community where you want to have a hub. So, I’ll have big maps where you can put up some stickers, like, ‘It would be very convenient for me to have a hub around this area’ or also if you’re a local business owner, you can To say hey, I want to collaborate with the team, “I want to allow two bikes,” Lopez says.
“I think the more people on bikes, the less cars there will be on the road, and I think everyone will be happier. There will be less traffic. It’s a better way to see your town and city by bike. So, the more exposure to cycling, the better.”
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(tags for translation) Lime Bicycles
