By Jim Hagerty
Reporter

ROCKFORD — Lime, the company that brought pedal bike-sharing to the Rockford region, is pulling out of the local market.

Spokesmen for the San Francisco-based company say the decision to withdraw from the Rockford region stems from a push to move away from pedal bikes toward an electric-scooter and electric-bicycle business model.

“Lime has appreciated the opportunity to serve the people of the Rockford community,” Director of Strategic Development Gabriel Scheer wrote in a letter to city officials. “We are constantly looking to improve the way our riders move throughout their cities and we’re eager to bring the latest innovations to the communities we serve, but we recognize that every community is different. There is no one-size-fits all transportation solution.”

The company’s agreement with the City of Rockford allows Lime to pull out of the market at any time. The program was not funded by taxpayers.

The bikes were used more than 25,000 times last year.

Lime was introduced last April in Rockford, Loves Park, Machesney Park and Belvidere. The company has not announced whether it plans to roll out an electric scooter or electric bike program locally. The plans to reach out to other bike-sharing vendors. R.