Lime bikes rolling out of Greater Boston

One of Lime's electric pedal-asist bikes.Lime

Lime bikes are leaving Greater Boston.

The San Francisco-based company informed the Metropolitan Area Planning Council about its decision in a recent letter. The company provided the letter to the Globe Friday.

“Lime has served the metro-Boston area with a No Cost Regional Bike Sharing System since April 2018 and, after much analysis and internal discussion of the past riding season, we have made the tough call not to renew our regional contract for 2020,” the letter said.

The company charges riders, but it stressed that it didn’t take any cash from partnering communities when it set up its bike-share in the region.

“When Lime launched we were excited to partner on an innovative approach to mobility for metro-Boston residents,” the letter said. “Our traditional bike and electric pedal-assist fleets were provided at no cost to municipalities, while remaining affordable to users. The program enjoyed high ridership and delivered a new mode of shared transportation to tens of thousands of riders outside of the downtown core, helping them ease commutes and find more efficient and fun ways to get around.”

Lime said wants to stick around in a different capacity.

“Lime remains fully committed to innovative mobility options and we are currently working with state leaders on Beacon Hill to legalize electric scooters,” the letter said. “Over the past year, Lime has focused on launching and growing our scooter fleets in the US, which have been very popular in cities across the globe. Our recent scooter pilot in Brookline proved that the same excitement exists here.”

Any Lime user, the letter said, “with remaining funds in their Lime account can use that balance in any other active Lime market, or receive a refund by request through our customer support channels. We thank you for riding with Lime and for being so forward thinking when it comes to embracing new transportation options. We remain hopeful about working in the metro-Boston area to provide innovative mobility options in the future.”