Micro Mobility in Seattle#

Shared e-scooters and bikes have become a significant part of Seattle’s transportation landscape. This guide covers the current operators, the history of the program, how city permits work, and where to find data.

Current operators#

As of 2025, two companies operate shared micro mobility services in Seattle. (SDOT Data)

Lime#

Lime is the dominant provider, accounting for about 95% of all shared micro mobility trips in Seattle. Lime operates:

• Electric scooters (traditional standing scooters)
• Lime Glider (seated scooters, launched May 2025)
• Electric bikes

Lime has approximately 13,400 vehicles deployed across Seattle as of 2025, representing about 85% of the total fleet. (Micromobility.io analysis)

Bird#

Bird operates as a smaller secondary provider with electric scooters. Bird filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in late 2023 but continues to operate in Seattle. (GeekWire)

Pricing#

Both Lime and Bird offer reduced-fare programs for qualifying low-income riders through ORCA LIFT, Apple Health (Medicaid), or other assistance programs.

Pricing details: How to Use Scooter Share and Bike Share (seattle.gov) | Lime Ride Costs and Rates

History#

2014-2017: Pronto’s rise and fall#

Seattle’s first bike share system was Pronto Cycle Share, a docked system that launched in October 2014. The non-profit-run program struggled financially and operationally. The city shut down Pronto in March 2017 rather than continue subsidizing it. (The Urbanist)

2017: Dockless bike share arrives#

Just four months after Pronto closed, Seattle became one of the first major U.S. cities to permit dockless bike share. In July 2017, SDOT launched a pilot program allowing three companies to operate:

• LimeBike (now Lime) - green bikes
• Spin - orange bikes
• Ofo - yellow bikes

The dockless model let riders pick up and drop off bikes anywhere, rather than at fixed stations. Ridership took off immediately, with the three companies generating more trips in their first four months than Pronto did in two and a half years. (MRSC | The Urbanist)

2018-2019: Market consolidation#

The venture-capital-fueled bike share boom didn’t last. Ofo, the Chinese bike share giant, pulled out of Seattle and eventually folded globally under massive debt. Spin pivoted away from bikes to focus on scooters and left Seattle.

By 2019, Lime was the only bike share operator remaining. (The Urbanist)

2020: E-scooters arrive#

Seattle took a cautious approach to e-scooters, waiting to learn from other cities before launching its own program. In September 2020, SDOT permitted four scooter companies to begin operating:

• Lime (returning operator)
• LINK (by Superpedestrian)
• Wheels
• Spin

The scooter program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic but still saw strong adoption. (The Urbanist)

2022: Permit refresh#

After a pilot evaluation, SDOT ran a competitive application process emphasizing safety, equity, and proper parking. The new permit holders for 2022-2023 were:

• Lime (returning)
• LINK by Superpedestrian (returning)
• Bird (new)

Wheels and Spin departed. (SDOT Blog)

2023: Industry turmoil#

The shared micro mobility industry hit turbulence in late 2023:

• Superpedestrian (LINK scooters) abruptly shut down U.S. operations in December 2023, turning off access to its scooters on December 26 with little warning
• Bird filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Seattle responded by reassigning Superpedestrian’s approximately 2,000 permits to the remaining operators, Lime and Bird. (GeekWire | The Urbanist)

2024-2025: Record growth#

Despite the industry consolidation, Seattle’s shared micro mobility ridership has continued growing:

• 2023: 5.1 million trips
• 2024: 6.3 million trips (up 28%)
• 2025: 10 million trips (new record)

Lime introduced the seated Lime Glider scooter in May 2025, which surpassed 1 million trips within months of launch. The company also expanded service to the University of Washington campus. (SDOT Blog | The Urbanist)

How city permits work#

SDOT manages shared micro mobility through a permit system. (SDOT Program Page)

Permit structure#

• Permit fees: Companies pay per-vehicle permit fees to operate in Seattle, which fund program administration
• Fleet caps: SDOT uses a performance-based fleet cap system, allowing operators to increase fleet sizes based on utilization rates and equity deployment goals
• Annual review: Permits are issued for one-year terms with regular evaluation

Operator requirements#

Permitted companies must:

• Host real-time data in a public API feed using the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS)
• Implement safety features (speed governors, helmet programs, first-ride speed limits)
• Offer reduced-fare programs for low-income riders
• Use GPS and geofencing to manage parking compliance
• Distribute helmets at community events

Selection criteria#

When SDOT evaluates permit applications, they prioritize:

1. Safety: Equipment quality, helmet distribution, speed management
2. Equity: Geographic coverage including underserved areas, accessible pricing
3. Parking compliance: Technology to prevent sidewalk obstruction

Primary sources: SDOT Scooter Share Program Updates | Scooter Share Program Evaluation

Bike & Scoot to Transit program#

The Bike & Scoot to Transit program is a collaboration between King County Metro, SDOT, Sound Transit, Lime, Bird, and technology partners. It incentivizes using shared micro mobility for first/last-mile connections to transit.

How it works#

1. Connect your Transit GO Ticket app with your Lime or Bird account
2. Ride a shared bike or scooter to a transit hub
3. Park in designated spots
4. Earn rewards toward future transit trips or bike/scooter rides

The program aims to reduce car trips by making it easier and cheaper to combine micro mobility with public transit.

Learn more: Bike & Scoot to Transit (King County Metro)

Data sources#

SDOT publishes data on the shared micro mobility program for transparency and planning purposes.

SDOT data dashboard#

The city maintains a dashboard showing trip counts, fleet sizes, and other metrics used for permit compliance and transportation planning.

Access the data: Scooter and Bike Share - Data and Permit Information (seattle.gov)

Real-time GBFS feeds#

As a permit requirement, each operator must publish real-time vehicle location and availability data using the General Bikeshare Feed Specification (GBFS).

Lime:

• https://data.lime.bike/api/partners/v1/gbfs/seattle/gbfs.json
• https://data.lime.bike/api/partners/v1/gbfs/seattle/free_bike_status.json

For current API endpoints for all operators, check the SDOT data page.

Seattle Open Data Portal#

The Seattle Open Data Portal may contain additional transportation datasets.

Contact#

For questions about the program or data:

• Bike share: BikeShare@seattle.gov
• Scooter share: ScooterShare@seattle.gov

Key statistics (2025)#

Sources: SDOT 2025 Record Report | SDOT Data Dashboard | Micromobility.io Analysis

Related resources#

• Vision Zero Seattle - City’s traffic safety initiative
• Seattle Bicycle Master Plan - Long-range bicycle infrastructure planning
• Transportation Glossary - Terms like “mode share” and “first/last mile”

Last updated: February 2026