eScooter Interruptus

No more Ojo! 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 12, 2019

MAYOR BHALLA TERMINATES OJO SCOOTER CONTRACT AND COMMITS TO WORKING WITH LIME SCOOTER TO ENSURE A SUCCESSFUL AND SAFE PROGRAM

This morning, Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla terminated the OjO electric scooter contract in the City of Hoboken. OjO, along with Lime have been the two e-scooter companies participating in Hoboken’s pilot program that commenced in May 2019. According to the terms of the contract, OjO will have 48 hours to remove all e-scooters from Hoboken. As of 3:00 pm, OjO scooters are no longer rentable in Hoboken.

“The electric scooter sharing programs have been widely popular in Hoboken, and have provided a valuable, green alternative transportation method utilized by tens-of-thousands of riders,” said Mayor Bhalla. “At the same time, the safety and well-being of our residents is my number one priority. That’s why today, after listening to the concerns of residents, and an evaluation of the OjO scooter program over the past three months, I’ve decided to terminate the contract. We expect that any transportation company, including e-scooters, provide adequate education, enforcement and adapt with the appropriate technology to safely operate on our streets. Unfortunately, this has not occurred with OjO.

My administration remains committed to sustainable transportation options, along with safe riding through the implementation of protected bike lanes. We will continue to lead in this field by working to improve all methods of transportation within our city, which includes the Lime e-scooters. I appreciate Lime’s continued efforts to improve the e-scooter sharing experience for all users and look forward to working with them to making even more improvements throughout the remainder of the pilot period.”

Since Lime and Hoboken began the pilot program in Hoboken in late May, more than 60,000 unique riders have taken over 400,000 rides. Over 17,000 users have taken at least five rides on Lime e-scooters.