Lime CEO Wayne Ting has told City A.M. that “commuting is the most important use case” for its e-bikes, with a recent report revealing that commuting and travel to education are the most common reasons to use Lime e-bikes in London.
Manish Kharel, general manager for Lime in London, told City A.M. that commuting was “now our most common journey with many people based in outer London Boroughs, using the bikes to get into Zone 1”.
According to a recent report by transport consultancy Steer, almost 500,000 riders use Lime e-bikes for commuting purposes, with 39% of Lime e-bike riders saying that commuting to/or from work or school was the purpose of their last trip. The report, which was commissioned by Lime, also recommended the creation of 10,000 new shared e-bike parking spaces across London.
The report used Lime e-bike service data from January 2019 to March 2023, as well as rider survey data, to assess the contribution of the company’s e-bikes in London. Commuting and travel to education are the most common reasons to use Lime e-bikes for both male and female riders, said Steer.
Ting believes that the capital has become an “incredible market” for e-bikes due to its “density of population” and congestion, as well as the cost of taking a taxi or car.
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Lime e-bike trips have increased on average over 10% on a month by month basis since 2019 with a short break in service during the spring 2020 Covid lockdown, according to the Steer report.
Almost one in four Lime riders said that the e-bikes have improved access to jobs and have created a positive economic impact, and 27% said availability of Lime e-bikes improves accessibility in London.
