Lime e-scooters replace bikes as preferred transport mode in Calgary

Lime’s dockless bike-share service launched in Calgary in 2018, is reportedly facing a dip in popularity after the arrival of Lime e-scooters and its adoption for sustainability. Lime is a transportation company that is based in the United States, which provides normal pedal bikes, electric bikes, electric scooters, and car sharing services in various regions across the globe.  The 16-month dockless bike pilot program launched in October 2018 involved the distribution of over 300 e-bikes in downtown Calgary, followed by the launch of 1500 scooters in July 2019.
 
Lime spokespersons with knowledge of the matter have stated that Lime riders are showing overwhelming preference towards scooters as a mode of transportation over bikes. Due to this scenario, the company is planning to discontinue offering e-bikes to cater to Calgary’s customers need, instead bringing back their e-scooter fleet. The company further commented on the varying taste of customers for different modes of transportation, who are living in different regions or cities.

Lime bikes have been facing a decline in popularity ever since the launch of electric scooter pilot. In July 2019, 22,387 bike sharing trips were recorded, which was over 10,000 less than the previous month’s recorded trips. During the same time, there were 99,000 recorded trips of e-scooters in the first month after its launch in Calgary.

Sources familiar with the matter cited that the varying popularity can be partly due to the availability of more scooters as compared to bikes. Number of bikes operated by Lime were around 450, while the number of scooters offered by Lime and Bird was nearly 1,500. 

In August 2019, officials in the city of Calgary reported the possibility of wheeling back Lime bikes, citing instances of Lime pulling back its bikes from the streets of various cities of the United States, which showed a higher propensity towards the scooters. For instance, Edmonton city restricted its fleet to focus only on scooters in 2019.

Source credit: https://calgaryherald.com/news/lime-says-bye-bye-to-bikes-in-calgary-will-bring-back-e-scooters