Who needs gas-guzzling cars and exhaust-pouring buses anymore?
The congestion and pollution levels in cities are reaching a tipping point, creating a need for newer and more efficient options.
In today’s urban cities, traditional vehicles and public transportation are quickly becoming a thing of the past.
Take a look around most major cities across the United States and you’ll see the next wave of urban mobility — micro-mobility.
Micro-mobility companies focus on moving users short distances throughout crowded cities, without the use of bulky and dirty vehicles.
Cutting through the smog is Lime, an affordable urban mobility option that enables you to rent LimeBikes, Lime-E electric bikes, and Lime-S scooters all from a mobile app.
Today we’re going to tell you a little bit about Lime and show you how you can safely rent and ride one of the biggest crazes sweeping the world.
What Is Lime?
Lime is an urban mobility company that provides city dwellers with bike share options, scooter rentals, and other forms of affordable transportation.
By downloading the app, users can reserve one of the Lime rental options, ride around the city, drop it off in a designated location, and then pay directly through the app.
Lime’s goal is to relieve urban congestion and eliminate the wasteful use of vehicles and buses for short-distance transportation.
Instead of hopping in a vehicle or bus, pedestrians can instead opt for a cleaner and healthier option of renting a bike or scooter from Lime.
Lime makes it extremely easy to download its app and begin using its service.
It also has several options for pedestrians to rent.
Lime Fleet Options
Lime is in the business of getting people from A to B.
How you get there is completely up to you.
Here are four options that Lime offers in cities around the world.
Not all of these options will be available in every city, so make sure you check your city’s availability.
Lime-S
Lime-S is the electric scooter rental option that Lime offers.
These nifty little guys help you zip around the city with little effort.
Their charged-up 250-watt motor is all you’ll need to quickly get you across town to work, your favorite lunch spot, or back home after a long day.
Right now you may be looking for ways you can use a Lime-S scooter in your city, but if you’re ever interested in making some extra cash on the side, you can also get paid to charge scooters overnight in your home.
If so, check out our Lime scooter charging guide and additional tips on becoming a Lime scooter juicer.
LimeBike
The LimeBike was the first bike share program from Lime that took off nationwide.
These dockless bike rentals can be rented and dropped off throughout your city.
Equipped with a nice basket in front to hold your belongings, this is a perfect option for those who may be intimidated by Lime scooters or would just rather use a traditional bike.
These bikes are sturdy and have eight gears to get you up to speed in no time.
Lime-E
For those who want something a little more modernized compared to the traditional bike, the Lime-E bike is an excellent upgrade.
The Lime-E is an electric assist bike that helps you accelerate as you pedal.
Depending on how hard you’re pedaling, the Lime-E electric assist bikes will automatically recognize the force you’re exerting and provide you with additional acceleration.
This smart motorbike may be one of the neatest and most energy-efficient bike options out there.
LimePod
Not only does Lime provide bike sharing and scooter rentals, it also has its own vehicle program.
The LimePod is Lime’s urban car sharing option.
Similar to the bikes and scooters, a pedestrian can download the app, rent a vehicle, and park it pretty much anywhere in the city.
You’re charged a small fee to unlock the vehicle and then a small charge for every minute used.
Also, there’s no need to worry about inclement weather or uphill pedaling since you’ll be traveling in a nice sheltered vehicle.
So how much do each of these options cost?
How Much Does Lime Cost?
All of the Lime options, besides the LimePod, cost $1.00 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to use.
The app is free to download and you’re only charged when you decide to use one of the rental options.
Here is a cost breakdown of each Lime option:
- Lime-S: $1.00 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to use
- LimeBike: $1.00 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to use
- Lime-E: $1.00 to unlock and $0.15 per minute to use
- LimePod: $1.00 to unlock and $0.40 per minute to use
Additionally, with the LimePod, you’re also charged $15.00 for an application fee to sign up.
This $15.00 is then reimbursed to you for you to use on the Lime platform.
Parking a LimePod is also free around the city as long as it’s in a legal parking area.
How to Rent With Lime
Now that you know all of your rental options and how much each costs, let’s see how you can start renting and get on the road.
The first step is heading to the App Store or Google Play to download the Lime app.
Since you’ll be renting through the smartphone app, this is an absolute must.
After you’ve successfully downloaded the app, created your account, and entered your credit card information, you can begin searching for the nearest rental option.
Whether you’re renting a LimeBike, Lime-S scooter, Lime-E electric bike, or the LimePod vehicle, the rental process is pretty much the exact same.
Regardless, you’ll always go through these three steps: locate, scan, and ride.
Locate
Once you hop on the LimeBike app, you can start searching your city for the nearest rental option.
On the map, you’ll see different green icons that will help you identify which transportation option is available.
If it’s a LimeBike, you’ll see a bike symbol.
If it’s a Lime-S scooter, you’ll see a scooter symbol.
You get the idea!
You can search for rental options and ride anytime of the day.
Scan
After you locate the Lime rental you want to reserve, scan the QR code with the Lime app.
Once you scan the QR code, your reservation will begin.
For the Lime bikes and scooters, the QR code should be located on the handlebars.
There is also a QR code placed by the seat on the bike options.
For the LimePod, the QR codes will be located on the driver’s side, passenger’s side, or the rear of the vehicle.
Ride
After you begin your reservation, you’re free to travel around your city at your convenience.
Once you complete your ride, you can leave your rental in a designated area and away from vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
There’s no need for a bike rack with Lime!
Some good places to park your rental are next to a building, off the road, or next to the curb away from walking lanes.
Remember that you should always park your rental upright and neatly away from pedestrians.
There’s nothing worse than a pile of scooters laying on the ground crowding the sidewalk.
Since you’ll be operating on streets and public areas, it’s important that you follow all rules and traffic regulations.
You should also take the necessary steps to ensure you’re being a safe and responsible driver.
How to Ride Safely
Let’s go over a few tips to make sure you have a pleasant and safe rental experience.
Our first tip is to always follow helmet laws in your city.
Even if there isn’t a helmet law, it’s always a good idea to protect your melon whenever you can.
Not only should you obey the helmet laws, you should also obey any traffic laws while riding.
You’ll likely be operating scooters or bikes in traffic or bike lanes, so it’s important to realize that you need to follow the same laws as other vehicles on the road.
Our next tip is to always check your rental before hopping on.
Make sure all of the tires are pumped up, there aren’t any bent parts, and the brakes are in working condition.
After you begin your ride, you should always do a brake check to see what you’re working with in case you need to quickly hit the brakes.
Also, you should always keep an eye out for vehicles, pedestrians, and other road obstructions.
The bikes can handle a bump or two, but when it comes to the scooters, not so much.
If you catch an unexpected pothole, you may be on your way down for a hard tumble.
Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to use hand signals while you’re on the road.
Signals for left, right, and stop in the diagram below will help you avoid any collisions.
Is Lime In Your City?
Lime offers its services all around the world.
Not only can you use bikes and scooters across major cities and campuses in the U.S., but you can also take a ride in other international locations.
Here are a few major cities around the world where Lime is located:
- Seattle, Washington
- Dallas, Texas
- San Francisco, California
- Paris, France
- Waterloo, Canada
- London, United Kingdom
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Prague, Czech Republic
These are just a few cities where Lime is located.
If you’d like the complete list of Lime locations, head to this page to see if Lime is near you.
It’s Time to Rethink Transportation
Isn’t it time to modernize your day-to-day commute?
If you’re from a crowded urban city and are paying a fortune for car insurance, maintenance, and parking, maybe it’s time to rethink your transportation model.
Perhaps if you got rid of your vehicle and opted for a bike share or scooter rental option like Lime, you’d actually save money in the long run.
Give it some thought the next time you fork over a hundred bucks for your monthly parking fees!
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