Lime One Year Report
Transforming Urban Mobility
Contents
Introduction
In June of 2017, Lime launched its first fleet of pedal bikes in Greensboro, North Carolina. Twelve months and more than 70 markets later, Lime is leading the smart mobility movement in the United States and transforming short-distance urban transportation worldwide. Lime's One Year Report explores the rapid growth of bike and scooter sharing across the US and Europe, highlighting both raw data and human narratives behind over 6,000,000 dock-free rides. By sharing these insights, Lime aims to foster a deeper public understanding of the benefits of smart personal mobility and demonstrate its commitment to transparency and policy collaboration. Thank you for one year of great rides and incredible memories. We look forward to many more to come!
How We Got Here
Timeline of Growth
- June '17: First market opens up in Greensboro, NC ?
- Dec '17: LimeBike celebrates 1M rides, expands to Europe ?
- Jan '18: Lime-E electric assist bike launches ?
- Feb '18: Lime-S electric scooter launches ?
- Feb '18: LimeBike launches largest E-bike fleet in US history ?
- Feb '18: San Diego becomes first city with full Lime fleet ?
- May '18: LimeBike celebrates 3M rides, introduces new Segway Lime-S scooter ?
- May '18: LimeBike becomes Lime to accommodate smart mobility fleet
- July '18: Lime surpasses 6M rides in just over 12 months ?
Lime Impact: One Year of Dock-Free Smart Mobility By the Numbers
The Journey to 6,000,000 Rides
Lime ridership has increased dramatically month over month, as depicted in a line graph showing growth from June '17 to July '18, reaching 6 million rides.
Key Metrics
- 1.06 miles Average Distance Ridden ?
- 5,250,000 LBS Cumulative CO2 Saved ?
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Speed Comparison:
- Electric-assist bikes take riders to their destination 21% faster than traditional pedal bikes (for the same distance traveled) ?
- Electric scooters take riders to their destination 22% faster than traditional pedal bikes (for the same distance traveled) ?
Improving City Living and Urban Transportation
Connecting Communities
- 27% of riders in major urban markets use Lime to connect to or from public transit, reducing reliance on personal cars and increasing public transportation accessibility.
- 20% of riders use Lime to travel to or from restaurants or shopping destinations, connecting riders with local businesses.
Daily Activities & Economic Impact
- 39% of riders use Lime for travel to or from work, school, or appointments, connecting communities with essential daily activities.
- 51% of riders have a total household income under $75,000, indicating Lime provides critical mobility access to middle-income Americans.
Cost Savings
In US cities, a rider using Lime products in conjunction with public transit pays, on average, 80% less than the cost of owning and operating a personal vehicle.
- Average Daily Cost of Car Ownership in US Urban Markets: $28.18 ?
- Cost with Lime + Public Transit (2 trips each):
- Lime-S: $8.21 ?
- Lime-E: $7.60 ?
- LimeBike (2.12 miles): $4.25 ?
Community, Safety and Education
Lime LOVES Campaign
Lime is committed to leadership through accountability, actively listening to and adapting to community feedback to improve smart mobility services.
The Lime LOVES campaign is an industry-first initiative codifying Lime's pledge to prioritize safety, equity, and operational excellence ahead of profits in every community served.
- Local Hiring
- Operational Excellence
- Value Oriented
- Equity Committed
- Safety First
Equitable Access
LimeAccess + PayNearMe
The LimeAccess program allows low-income individuals to purchase 100 rides on LimeBike smart pedal bikes for only $5, ensuring fair and equitable smart mobility access.
Through a partnership with PayNearMe, Lime enables the unbanked and those without smartphones to pay for their LimeAccess pass in cash at over 27,000 locations nationwide and unlock LimeBikes with a text message. ?
Case Studies
San Francisco, California
Electric Scooters Help Connect Riders To Transit
The Bay Area faces significant traffic challenges. As the third most congested city in the US, San Francisco needs smart mobility systems to reduce dependence on automobiles. Lime-S electric scooters have proven to be a critical part of the solution. A recent survey of over 7,000 users provided context to data from hundreds of thousands of rides, indicating Lime-S electric scooters are successfully getting people out of traffic-causing vehicles and helping keep San Francisco moving.
Key Statistics:
- 300,000 Total Rides on Lime-S Electric Scooter ?
- 280,000+ LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 53% of riders said they might have used a car if they hadn't taken Lime-S for their most recent trip.
- 39% of riders reported using Lime to connect to or from public transit during their most recent trip.
- 93% of riders during the pilot program said they thought the city needed more scooters to satisfy demand.
San Diego, California
The Full Potential of a Smart Mobility Fleet
In February 2018, San Diego became the first city in the world to offer dock-free bikes, electric-assist bikes, and electric scooters to accommodate its unique geography and mobility needs. From electric fleets powering rides along the Embarcadero and Mission Beach to exclusive pedal bike contracts with US Naval and Marine bases, Lime has had a dramatic impact on how residents and military personnel get around.
Key Statistics:
- 1 MILLION Total Rides in 5 Months ?
- 310,000+ Unique Riders ?
- 800,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- First city worldwide to offer dock-free bikes, e-bikes, and electric scooters. ??
- Exclusive dock-free bike partnership with Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Coronado, and Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. ?
Washington D.C.
Connecting Communities Despite A Low Market Cap
Washington D.C. presents unique challenges for dock-free mobility providers. With a large population and millions of visitors annually, the city's vehicle cap makes it difficult to add significant value to its mobility network. Despite these limitations, independent data compilations reveal how Lime's dock-free mobility options effectively bring diverse residents together across all wards of the nation's capital.
Key Statistics:
- 100,000+ Unique Riders ?
- 255,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 10% Increase in minority ridership vs. docked bikeshare.
- 20% Increase vs. docked bikeshare in riders earning less than $35K/yr.
Dallas, Texas
Finding Balance In The Wild West
Over a few months, Dallas rapidly transitioned from a city without a shared mobility network to one with the largest bikeshare fleet in the country. This growth, accompanied by challenges, presented an opportunity to find a healthy balance based on data and demand. Lime's responsible operations have been embraced by Dallas, and the City Council has enshrined the program into law, allowing fleet sizes to be established based on community need, not arbitrary caps.
Key Statistics:
- 220,000+ Unique Riders ?
- 465,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 530,000 Miles Ridden, equivalent to 21 laps around the Earth ?
- Launched multimodal fleet with bikes and scooters starting in July 2018. ??
Seattle, Washington
A Collaborative Approach To Bike Sharing
Seattle was the first major US market to embrace dock-free bike sharing. City leaders opened doors to smart mobility providers like Lime, and by February 2018, they had launched the largest fleet of Lime-E electric assist bikes in US history. The collaboration between the city and dock-free bike sharing companies has set a standard for cities nationwide, with designated parking zones and studies contributing to impressive results.
Key Statistics:
- First individual market to hit 1 Million dock-free rides (July 1). ?
- 3.6 Rides per day per 1,000 people.
- 715,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 74% of Seattle residents have a favorable opinion of dock-free bike sharing. ✔️
- Roughly 1/3 of the city (~710K population) has tried bike sharing, including 36% Hispanic & African American, 32% Asian, and 32% Caucasian residents.
St. Louis, Missouri
The Promise Of Equitable Mobility
St. Louis has embraced dock-free mobility across racial, ethnic, and income divisions. Local officials required Lime to deploy a significant percentage of bikes in underserved neighborhoods, dramatically improving mobility service availability in diverse parts of the city. Lime uses the knowledge gained from St. Louis' deployment guidelines to help bring dock-free smart mobility to other neighboring communities.
Key Statistics:
- 60,000+ Unique Riders ?
- 115,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 20% of bikes are deployed in St. Louis Equity and Inclusion Neighborhoods.
- Exclusive partnership with Washington University of St. Louis. ?
Berlin, Germany
Electric Bikes And Efficiency In Operations
Berlin is renowned for its high-quality public transportation and bike-friendliness. Smart mobility providers must be efficient and innovative to supplement the existing transit system. As the first company to offer dock-free electric-assist bikes in Berlin, Lime is successfully pushing the city's e-mobility transformation. The implementation of e-cargo bikes has helped set the standard for productivity and environmental consciousness.
Key Statistics:
- 15,000+ Unique Riders ?
- 46,000 LBS CO2 Saved ?
- 58,000 Miles Ridden ?
- Industry-leading maintenance efficiency, with a net-positive Lime-E repair time.
Looking Forward
The team at Lime is committed to working hand-in-hand with cities, universities, and riders to realize the full potential of smart mobility worldwide. Transparency and communication are integral to these efforts, and Lime will continue to share insights as it leads this exciting global movement into the future.
Sincere thanks to #LimeNation for ongoing support and engagement, and for the 6,000,000+ opportunities to ride along. Millions more trips are anticipated in the weeks and months ahead!
To bring Lime to your community or organization, send a message to hello@limebike.com.
