Lime Recalling Electric Scooters After Reports Of Breaking During Use
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - One of North Texas' biggest suppliers of electric scooters that are used by the general public to get around is recalling some of its fleet after reports of them breaking during use.
The company Lime says it's deactivating defective scooters immediately from one of its manufacturers, Okai, but it's not saying how many of those were in cities like Dallas. The company has also not said if its possible for other scooters to break during rides.
There are hundreds of Lime scooters positioned around Downtown Dallas and surrounding neighborhoods. Most of the time, riders only have to worry about potholes and passing traffic.
But one photo posted on Twitter showed a scooter that reportedly broke during a ride in Denver. The city of Dallas confirmed one report from a rider of a scooter breaking during use.
Lime scooter users in Dallas say they didn't know there was a recall. One of riders called Lime while CBS 11 interviewed her to see if she should be worried. She says she didn't get a clear answer.
"I feel like I should check it out in the fact that still out here, and they haven't actually recalled my scooter makes me think it's probably okay," said Virginia Finoff.
In a statement to CBS 11, Lime says the problem is limited to one of its multiple manufacturers:
"We are actively looking into reports that scooters manufactured by Okai may break and are working cooperatively with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the relevant agencies internationally to get to the bottom of this. Safety is Lime's highest priority and as a precaution we are immediately decommissioning all Okai scooters in the global fleet."
Dallas' transportation director says he's going to contact all the scooter operators in the city for reassurance that they are putting safe vehicles on the streets.
In a statement about the recall, the city of Dallas told CBS 11:
"The City of Dallas is aware of the recall issued by Lime, and recently met with all scooter companies to discuss their safety and maintenance practices. City staff continues to research this matter to ensure the public's safety and wellbeing."