Eager to Win Back Riders, Lime Offers New Day Pass Pricing Just In Time For Memorial Day Weekend

Scooter operator Lime is slowly coming back to life as cities around the U.S. begin to ease coronavirus-related restrictions. As Americans get ready to celebrate Memorial Day this weekend, Lime is offering a new feature: Lime Day Pass. The 24-hour pass will allow a person unlimited 30-minute rides and reservations for a set price.

This is somewhat reminiscent of Lime’s weekly ride pass, launched in December 2019. For a weekly fee of $5, riders were able to unlock as many scooters as they wanted (which are normally $1 per unlock). This only saved on the cost of repeated unlocks, people still had to pay for each minute of their ride, around 24¢ a minute. For daily scooter commuters, this was a pretty solid deal. Now, in a gambit to win back riders, the new Lime Day Pass is taking things even further.

In over 20 cities across the country, Lime riders can now buy the Day Pass for $11.99 and ride all they want (in up to 30-minutes). The idea is to let riders safely explore their city during the long weekend while maintaining social distance. It’s too early for most to consider cramming back into the confined spaces of subways and buses, so Lime offering this deal is a carbon-friendly alternative to travelers racing back to personal cars. The company has been re-launching its fleets in major markets across the world this past month, along with offering services such as Lime Aid, which allows essential workers free rides.

Lime is well aware of the worries its riders might have over the use of any form of “shared” mobility right now. The company notes it has stepped up its cleaning efforts, and offers advice riders can take to protect themselves:

• • Just as you should wipe down public and shared surfaces with disinfectant, we encourage you to do the same before riding a scooter or bike.
  • You could also consider wearing gloves as a precaution as well as washing your hands before and after riding.

Lime’s new offering comes after a fresh $170 million funding round, which was led by an $85 million investment from Uber. That same collaboration saw Lime absorb Uber’s JUMP e-bike and e-scooters, cementing the San Mateo, California-based company’s position against Bird and other rivals. The company is going to fully integrate the JUMP assets into its offerings, which follows Chief Policy Officer David Spielfogel’s recent proclamation that Lime is “not [just] a scooter company.” Seeing as JUMP bikes are already deployed across the globe, Lime will be able to easily incorporate those bikes into its newly-relaunched, and expanded, service.

Header image courtesy Lime