Uber is so 2018 – Lime scooters are the new way of app-based personal transportation! 🙂 In truth, Lime is quickly becoming a favorite way for me (and many, many others) to get around quickly and simply – and in our own way.

Lime Scooter Review: A Fast and Simple Way to Get Around Dozens of Cities

Link: Lime Scooter

I have been using Lime scooters for a while now and wanted to do a review of them so you can decide if Lime is something you want to try on your next trip. They are currently in 40 international cities (and many US cities) and the list is growing so you will likely see them on city streets in your travels, if you have not already.

What is Lime and How Do You Use It?

Lime is an app-based service for renting scooters. These are electric scooters that are easily spotted by the Lime logo and the green and black color scheme. That is, if you see them in person. If you use the app, you will find them by their little scooter logo.

To start, you would download the Lime app (available on iOS and Android). If you use my referral code when you sign-up (RKBM3XV), you and I will both get one free unlock (more on that in a minute). To get started renting, you need to load up your wallet with an amount, like $10.

1) Next, when you find a scooter, simply launch the app,  2) click the “Scan” button and place the QR code in the visible range of the camera on your phone. 3) You will see an “Unlocking” message and in just a few seconds, you hear the beautiful Lime chime and you are good to go!

How Much Does Lime Cost?

The cost structure is pretty simple – it is $1/€1 to unlock a Lime scooter and $.15/€.15 per minute of use. That means if you were ride for 10 minutes and leave it idle for 5 minutes while in a shop, you will pay a total of $3.25 (because that is 15 cents per minute it is unlocked and in your use).

If you load your Lime account with $20, you will receive a $1 coupon. If you load it with $50, you will receive a $3 coupon. The basic level of $10 gives no coupons at all.

You can pause the ride which will lock the scooter so that no one else will use the scooter. You will pay for that time it is paused, however.

Oh, and yes, it does bill as “travel” so if you use a credit card that offers bonus points for travel, that will be a nice perk!

How Fast Does Lime Go?

Lime scooters move at a pretty good clip! Maximum speed is 27kmh/16mph. The maximum range is 24 miles on a charge. Obviously, going up hill will decrease both the range and the speed. But, at 16mph, you can cover a lot of ground on a 10 minute ride.

How Easy is it To Find a Lime Scooter?

If you are in the downtown areas that Lime covers or in a tourist area, I am sure you will find a Lime scooter! In a typical day, I will see them every few minutes when walking because they are just everywhere!

To check out a place you are going to, pull up the Lime app and zoom towards the city you are headed to see the concentration and location of Lime scooters.

How Easy is Lime to Ride?

Make sure you visit the Lime page for safety and How-To but I can tell you it is pretty easy to get the hang of riding a Lime scooter. I had never ridden a scooter before and it took me a couple of rides to feel comfortable but once I did, I can zip around at a nice clip and feel very comfortable with the ride.

On the right handgrip, you have a lever you push down that acts as the throttle. If you press it all the way down, you are going the maximum speed. You can control the speed with that throttle.

On the left handgrip, you have a brake and bell. Use the bell for when people are in the way but I can tell you that many people just ignore that. 🙂 The brake works well but make sure you give yourself some room to decelerate and brake.

Be careful about potholes or other obstructions in your path. The wheels are hard and you will feel every bump like that! If it is too big of a rock or something, it could cause you to lose control. Also, be careful when going down hills. There was a software glitch a couple of weeks ago that caused some scooters to have the brakes lock up when going downhills/over bumps and some people got hurt. Yeah, that is a problem! That has been fixed but you still need to exercise caution when going down hills.

Where Can You Ride Lime Scooters?

On the Lime map, you will see the area that is marked red around the Lime zones. That is the area that you cannot leave a Lime parked. You can ride it there but if you leave it parked after a ride, Lime can eventually fine you or suspend your account.

You can ride it anywhere you want (allowed by law) but just make sure you get it back inside the green zone when you are done with it.

How Safe is Lime?

Lime encourages you to follow all local laws for such scooters and to follow the same for helmets and where to ride. There have been some cases of people getting in accidents, in fact, some cities are taking a closer look at laws covering these scooters as a result.

It comes down to this – you are on a vehicle that can go up to 16mph. You are riding without a restraint or doors so if you crash, you are going to be in trouble. Ride carefully and be observant of all vehicle and pedestrian traffic around you.

Some cities may allow you to ride on sidewalks while others will restrict you to the road or bicycle lanes.

As you would with any other motor vehicle, operate it in a safe manner and pay attention to other motorists or pedestrians around you. This type of transportation is fantastic but there are many people who ride them in very unsafe manners and, long-term, that is not just going to cause injuries but also make this type of transportation more difficult to spread.

Remember this – your Lime scooter is pretty much silent. That means that anyone around you will not hear you coming. So, use the bell or shout out if you are afraid they may step in your path.

Summary – How Good is Lime Scooter?

I have to tell you – Lime scooters have just made things so much easier for me and will for any traveler! Instead of using Uber, a taxi, or even public transportation, you can go places you could not otherwise get to with those modes. Plus, you go at your pace. If you want to stop and check something out, you could pause it or just end your ride and find another one when you are done!

For me, traveling to a city with Lime is going to make things much easier for me as far as getting around! It will be like the first few times I traveled to a new city and pulled up the Uber app. I know I can grab a Lime to get where I need to go and it will cost less than an Uber and I won’t need to get stuck in traffic!

Dealing with Lime the Company

Out of my dozens of Lime rides, I had one scooter that had an issue with being very jerky. I parked it after just 1/4 mile because I felt it was quite unsafe. I sent Lime a message later and heard back in 10 minutes with a response that apologized and a refund for the ride. This was like in the early Uber days!