Lime is bringing the latest generation of its electric bikes to Seattle, adding the option to use a throttle rather than just pedal-assist to power the machines. Seattle is one of the first cities in the world to get the new model, the company said Thursday.
The throttle near the right handlebar grip functions similarly to the throttle on Lime’s e-scooters. Riders can start from a full stop, make it up steep hills and travel longer distances without working up a sweat by pedaling.
“That we chose to launch it here is Lime’s recognition of Seattle as a preeminent city for micromobility, and one we’re eager to continue investing in with our latest hardware,” Hayden Harvey, director of government relations at Lime, said in a news release.
Lime and Bird both operate e-bikes and e-scooters in Seattle as part of the City’s Scooter and Bike Share program, run by the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Lime provides shared e-bikes and e-scooters in 280 cities in nearly 30 countries. The company says its success globally is “powered by cities like Seattle,” where residents and visitors took over 3.1 million rides on Lime vehicles in 2023 — a 50% jump compared to 2022.
Some other key Seattle highlights shared by Lime include:
- Seattle is Lime’s oldest continuous market since launching in July 2017.
- So far in 2024, scooter and bike riders have taken 1 million rides.
- Lime’s best day ever was 22,500 trips and 13,000 riders on July 22, 2023, during the weekend of Taylor Swift’s Lumen Field concert appearances.
- Lime ridership also spiked during MLB All-Star weekend in Seattle, with 41,000 riders taking over 72,200 rides from July 7 through July 11, 2023.
- Since Lime launched in July 2017, 1.75 million Lime riders have taken nearly 12 million trips on Lime vehicles in Seattle.
San Francisco-based Lime is privately owned. The company took over the Jump bike-share business and was backed by a $170 million investment round led by Uber, Alphabet, Bain Capital and GV in 2020.