{"id":4609,"date":"2025-10-15T11:43:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:43:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/4609\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T11:43:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T11:43:32","slug":"900-new-scooters-rolling-into-st-petersburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/4609\/","title":{"rendered":"900 new scooters rolling into St. Petersburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"New <\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg<\/a> is set to expand its transportation landscape with the introduction of 900 new scooters, as the city partners with Lime and Spin to enhance mobility options for residents and visitors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This initiative is part of the city’s ongoing efforts to diversify transportation methods and improve accessibility.<\/p>\n

By the numbers:<\/p>\n

Since the launch of the scooter share program in 2020, St. Petersburg has witnessed over a million trips, averaging 760 trips a day, highlighting the popularity and demand for this mode of transport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

READ: Riverview High School teacher arrested for having sexual relations with student: HCSO<\/a><\/p>\n

After initial challenges, city officials said they have made significant adjustments to improve safety and reduce accidents, ensuring a smoother experience for users.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

Vanessa Letorneau, a local resident who frequently uses city scooters and her e-bike, expressed her appreciation for the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I love them. They are easy. I like that you can\u2019t ride them on the sidewalk,” she explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Letorneau, who has worked at the pier for four years, emphasized the convenience of getting around town without needing a car.<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg Police Department’s Assistant Chief Antonio Gilliam\u00a0noted, “When it first rolled out, we were skeptical. But like anything, once our citizens became acclimated, incidents decreased to the point of non-existence.”<\/p>\n

The other side:<\/p>\n

However, the program has not been without its challenges. In 2023, a woman was killed by a scooter rider- who was using it on the sidewalk, against city regulations.<\/a> There was a second passenger on the scooter, also against regulations. Following this incident, targeted enforcement efforts were implemented, leading to improved safety outcomes. Sgt. Mike Shade from the St. Pete Police Department said they still have issues with privately-owned scooters, which can exceed the speed limits of city-owned ones.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

The new scooters from Lime and Spin will be equipped with advanced features such as GPS, speed limits capped at 15 miles per hour, geo-fencing, and area restrictions to enhance safety and compliance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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There are also discussions about expanding the areas where scooters can be used, addressing concerns from residents like Letorneau, who noted, “I think that\u2019s great because where I live right now, I can\u2019t ride a scooter to my house.”<\/p>\n

Each company will provide 450 scooters, which will be added as the city constructs corrals for the additional scooters.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Source: This story was written with information gathered by FOX 13’s Genevieve Curtis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg is set to expand its transportation landscape with the introduction of 900…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4610,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[47,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628],"class_list":{"0":"post-4609","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-fl","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-pinellas","11":"tag-st-pete","12":"tag-st-pete-headlines","13":"tag-st-pete-news","14":"tag-st-petersburg","15":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","16":"tag-st-petersburg-news","17":"tag-us"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4609\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}