In the shadow of the nearby West Andes mountains, the city of Cali this week became the first city in Colombia to offer Lime electric scooters to its 2.4 million inhabitants.

Representatives at both the municipal and national levels were on hand as local Lime staff gave demonstrations, distributed helmets and answered questions about the micromobility movement that’s experiencing rapid adoption across five continents.

“We are grateful for this opportunity,” said Victor Hugo Viveros Bermudes, spokesperson for the city’s mayor Maurice Armitage. “Cali grows in terms of mobility by understanding that there are new sustainable alternatives available.”

The third-largest city in Colombia, Cali is taking proactive steps to reduce its traffic congestion. Earlier this year, INRIX named its neighbor Bogota the most congested city in the world, where commuters spent an average of 272 hours stuck in traffic in 2018.

“It’s a very important challenge at a nationwide level,” said Ministry of Transportation Representative Daniel Pérez Rodríguez. “The national government is very happy to be in a scenario where we can provide new mobility alternatives.”

Lime has agreed to deploy 1,000 of its motorized electric scooters daily at strategic hotspots throughout Cali, allowing residents and visitors to move quickly and efficiently around the city.

The team is also committed to educating the public on the proper way to utilize micromobility services as part of Lime’s Respect The Ride campaign.

“For a system like Lime to work well, we must be respectful of all mobility options,” said Lime Colombia Launcher Enrique Cuellar. “We’re inviting all citizens in Cali to to change the way we ride, to get our of our cars and out of traffic jams.”

To learn more about the growth of electric scooter rentals in Colombia and around the world, subscribe to the Lime Blog or download the app here to take a ride in Cali today.