CITY HALL — E-scooters are no longer banned overnight in Chicago.
An ordinance expanding hours of the city’s growing fleet of e-scooters had an easy ride through City Council Wednesday, with only three alderpeople opposed and no calls for discussion on the chamber’s floor. The vote lifts the ban on rides between midnight and 5 a.m.
It wasn’t immediately clear when people can unlock, rent and ride e-scooters during those hours, though.
“The ordinance does not immediately allow e-scooters to be rented overnight, rather, it removes the restriction on renting them between midnight and 5 a.m.,” a city spokesperson said in a statement. “Operating hours will be established through the program rules, which go into effect at the start of the new license term in June.”
The e-scooter expansion was backed by Mayor Brandon Johnson and leaders at the city’s Business Affairs and Consumer Protection department, Chicago Department of Transportation and the city’s two biggest e-scooter suppliers, Lime and Spin.
Kenneth J. Meyer, commissioner for the city’s business affairs department, said last week that making e-scooters available after midnight would mainly benefit workers commuting to and from graveyard shifts, including those in city hospitals.
Meyer added that e-scooters have been an economic driver for the city and an important form of “micro-mobility” that keeps cars off the roads. Over 4 million scooter trips have been tallied since 2022, Meyer said.
There are about 14 injuries per 100,000 e-scooter trips, city officials previously said.
Lime officials celebrated the expanded ordinance, particularly as the city preps for a busy summer season with events, festivals and the Democratic National Convention. The company plans to invest another $40 million into local operations and open a new warehouse on the West Side, officials said in a statement.
“We look forward to continuing to set ridership records here in Chicago, all while remaining focused on safe riding and equity for all residents, especially those who live on the South on West Sides,” said LeAaron Foley, senior director of government and community affairs at Lime. “Lime is excited to keep investing in our program here, including with a new centrally located warehouse that will keep our operations running as smoothly and efficiently as ever this year and beyond.”
The ordinance will also establish a new licensing fee for e-scooters: $250,000 — to be paid up front — under two-year agreements available every other June. The city will continue to charge firms monthly service fees per scooter ride.
The move also will increase the number of scooter companies operating in the city.
Small providers can now operate in Chicago as long as they have at least 2,000 scooters, pass a licensing check and prove they’ve operated successfully for at least a year in a United States city with 1 million or more people, among other requirements, according to the ordinance. Lime and Spin are the only two companies with e-scooters outside of Downtown.
E-scooters became available in Chicago through a pilot program in 2019 that received mixed reviews, leading to a second pilot in 2020. They became permanent in 2021.
Some e-scooters have famously been fished out of Lake Michigan.
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