Since launching in 2017 in San Francisco (where else?), Lime has expanded its shareable e-scooter and e-bike access to 280 cities, in 30 countries, on five continents. Certainly not bad for the little scooter that could.

Pre-pandemic, Lime-friendly cities like Los Angeles were the envy of many Canadians who went to visit and had a ball zooming around the streets. The model solved a few problems, especially in a juggernaut metropolis: avoid gridlock; get around for less money than an Uber or filling up on gas; lower one’s carbon footprint; have a little fun in the process.

Still, CEO Wayne Ting admits that there was a time when no one was sure if the company—think of it like Evo for electric scooters and bikes—was going to survive.

“Covid was a real shock for us,” he reflects via phone. “And what’s amazing to me about being part of the Lime journey is all the people who stayed and fought through those days when it wasn’t clear if Lime was going to be around in three months or six months. We asked people, ‘Why did you take a chance on Lime?’ And it’s because people believe so deeply in our mission to get more people out of cars, and to get more people onto bikes and scooters and other green transportation alternatives.”

Lime currently operates in certain BC markets, including Kelowna, Richmond, Coquitlam, and North Van. With 1.14 million trips under the company’s belt in the province alone, one can’t help but wonder: is Vancouver next?

Ting certainly hopes so, mentioning that a request for proposal is in the works. And given the company’s purview in other areas of the province, he’s confident it would be smooth zooming for Lime once given the go-ahead.

For Ting personally, alternative forms of transportation have always been part of his lifestyle. For one thing, he just hates driving (which—relatable).

“People love cars, and I’ve always been like, ‘Why?’” he says playfully. Having lived around the United States in places like San Francisco and Washington, DC, he grew used to biking and scootering to get around faster. That, coupled with a genuine interest in trying to make micromobility into a viable business, made Lime—founded by Brad Bao and Toby Sun—the right fit for him.

“Lime is not the first micromobility player out there. Lots of companies existed before us; we’re not even the first scooter company out there,” he says. “But almost all of them have failed to make the business work. A lot of them have gone out of business. Most of them burn a ton of cash, and Lime burned through a lot, too. But the question for me as somebody who helps manage businesses is: ‘Why can’t anyone make the economics work?’ We know there’s demand; we know there is a need from cities. It was a hard question, and something I always wanted to tackle.”

With palpable energy through the phone (seriously), Ting seems like the kind of leader who could get his flock to do anything. By putting mission at the forefront, he is able to unite his team to stick with him, to do good work, and to feel like they’re part of something. This attitude is something he credits to his childhood, which often had him feeling like an outsider. Because while he was born in the States, he spent his early childhood years in Taiwan, and then moved back to America when he was nine. Then, at 11 years old, he came out of the closet—while living in Nebraska. Not exactly friendly queer territory.

“It certainly gives you empathy. It gives you an ability to see a perspective as an outsider, not always feeling like you fit in," Ting reflects. “Sometimes that can feel like a heavy burden. But oftentimes it gives you a new perspective: you don’t always see the world like the rest of the world sees it. You feel like, ‘Why not? Why not do it a different way?’”