Commission hears Lime contract changes and LiveVision sidewalk-detection plan; privacy questions raised

City staff and Lime representatives briefed the Transportation Commission on proposed amendments to the city's Lime micromobility contract, including new seated "gliders," a small fleet increase and a permanent winter-fee structure to support year‑round service.

Colin Quinhurst, the city presenter on the item, said staff expect to finalize contract amendments in mid‑July and to return in late fall with an extension option through 2028. Jackie Johnson, project staff, said the amendment work is split into a near‑term amendment (for summer improvements) and a later extension decision.

Parker Dawson, Lime's senior regional lead for government relations, described LiveVision: "It uses an AI‑powered downward‑facing onboard camera to detect when a scooter is riding on the sidewalk, and then is able to provide on‑trip real‑time feedback to riders through audible alerts and post‑trip warnings," he said. Lime has piloted the system with a few dozen devices and plans to scale to roughly 100 devices for expanded data collection this summer.

Proposed operational changes include piloting up to 25 seated gliders this year (with up to 250 in 2027), increasing the fleet by about 200 units in 2026 to roughly 2,000 scooters, and adjusting the winter per‑ride fee from $0.75 to $0.33 to make winter service financially feasible.

A committee member challenged the contract's privacy protections, saying "there's absolutely no data protection clauses in there" and expressing concern that downward‑facing cameras and metadata could be used to surveil citizens if protections are not explicit in the contract. Lime responded that LiveVision was designed with strict privacy standards, the cameras are low resolution and downward facing, images are not retained after model training, and that the city has increased cybersecurity insurance and risk management requirements as part of the update.

Lime also described parking-management tools: mandatory parking zones, corral design standards, graduated fines for repeat parking violations (a $10 first fine, rising on repeat offenses), and an automated end‑of‑trip "capture" photo verification process that requires a user to show the parked device and can block trip completion if the image indicates prohibited parking.

No formal action was taken on the contract amendments at this meeting; staff said they would review data‑privacy language and return with any contract changes in the next amendment cycle.