Lime bikes in Reno-Sparks to be reduced to 150 for winter season

RENO, Nev. — Bikeshare company Lime last week announced it is pulling hundreds of bikes off Reno and Sparks streets for the winter season. According to a Dec. 7 news release, recent snowstorms in early December led to the decision to limit available bikes to 150; spokeswoman Brooke Brumfield says it's been too dangerous for riders to navigate slippery streets. "These storms brought more snow to Reno than we had anticipated,” added Stefanie Serradet, Lime’s regional operations manager for the Reno and Tahoe markets, in a statement. “Winter is here and fewer people are riding. We also understand there is still a need and want to help those loyal customers get where they need to go.” The Reno Gazette Journal reports that Lime is putting about 700 bicycles into storage until there is no risk from icy and stormy weather. The company have been pulling bikes since Dec. 7, including from South Lake Tahoe and on the University of Nevada, Reno campus, and plans to do so through December. According to previous reports, Lime had recorded over 127,000 rides and 56,000 unique riders in Reno as of mid-October, since the launch of the bikes in May. The median trip is a half-mile and lasts 15 minutes.

The rides in Reno have saved an estimated 87,444 pounds of carbon emissions from entering the air and eliminated 64,412 miles of driving, according to Lime.