Scootersharing service Lime will start offering Group Rides in select cities in the U.S. and Canada in the coming weeks.
Group Rides lets one person use the Lime app to unlock up to five scooters at once for friends, family, or co-workers.
Convenience is the main aim with Group Rides as it means only one rider has to sort out the reservation, enabling everyone to hop on the scooters and get moving at the same time. It should also reduce the likelihood of two riders jumping onto one scooter, behavior that Lime doesn’t actually allow.
Aware that some folks strolling about town may be spooked by the sight of a fleet of scooter riders heading in their direction, Lime is urging riders to “respect pedestrians right-of-way — park appropriately, yield to pedestrians” to keep everyone safe and happy.
How to get started
To access the feature, simply tap the Group Ride button displayed on the Lime map screen and then follow the step-by-step instructions. Guest rides can be started and/or ended at any time from the host account, Lime said in a blog post announcing the feature.
Each scooter costs a fixed rate to unlock, after which you’re charged per minute for the multiple rides. But take note, at the current time it’s not possible to use the app to split the cost of Group Rides, so you’ll have to work out costs later with your fellow riders, if necessary.
Lime’s Group Rides have been available in some cities across Europe and Latin America for the last few months, and now the San Francisco-based company is ready to bring the feature to North America. We’ve reached out to the company for details on which specific cities will get Group Rides first and will update this piece if we hear back.
It’s been a busy few months for Lime. The company recently deepened its partnerships with both Google Maps and Uber, and also introduced a scooter reservation feature that lets riders prebook an available vehicle up to 15 minutes prior to unlocking it.
Rapid expansion
Dockless scootersharing services have expanded rapidly in the U.S. in the last couple of years, with numerous companies battling it out to rule the space.
But they haven’t been welcomed by everyone, with some locals complaining of reckless riders or of sidewalks clogged up with scooters discarded at the end of a trip.
The grievances have prompted officials in many cities to regulate such services in a bid to restore order to the streets and keep everyone onside, as it seems pretty certain that scootersharing services are here to stay.
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