Policy •

5 years of Lime research collaborations illuminate the most pressing micromobility issues

by Calvin Thigpen
Director of Policy Research at Lime

Lime alone cannot achieve our vision of a future that is shared, affordable, and carbon-free. We also feel that it is our responsibility as the leading micromobility company to contribute our data and expertise to the worldwide effort to get people out of cars and ensure safe streets for all.

So, Lime’s Policy Team – our in-house “think tank” of transportation engineers, planners, data analysts and regulatory experts – has collaborated with leading researchers to analyze some of the most pressing issues in micromobility.

Over the past five years, our research partners have answered questions such as:

  • How much bike and scooter parking should cities provide?
  • Are shared scooters and bikes a sustainable transportation option?
  • Who uses shared scooters and bikes? How do we attract and retain a more diverse group of riders?

In addition, through organizations like the League of American Bicyclists, we work with cities to use micromobility data to address mobility issues and contribute to city planning initiatives - you can read more about our partnership with the League of American Bicyclists in our blog post.

A few highlights of our research collaborations include:

Parking

Lime riders want to park correctly, but research shows that parking compliance diminishes when parking is hard to find. Lime implements comprehensive rider education to address this, but we also know that this can’t fix the underlying challenge of not having enough locations to legally park.

"How many parking corrals a city provides is the most significant predictor for parking non-compliance rate." - Professor Anne Brown (University of Oregon, Urbanism Next Webinar)

Research published last month (April 2024) found when cities require parking at bike racks or corrals, these parking areas need to be accessible within a 1 minute walk of any location across a city, and 3 parking spaces are needed per micromobility device to ensure compliant parking.

Read more in our blog post and in the full report.

Sustainability

Lime leads the industry in reducing carbon emissions according to science-based targets.

As a result of these decarbonization efforts, research in 2022 by Fraunhofer ISI found that shared e-scooters help reduce carbon emissions within city transportation networks and today’s Gen4 Lime e-bikes and e-scooters are less carbon intensive than public buses, subways, and electric vehicles across their lifecycle.

The study was covered in Streetsblog USA, and you can also read the full report.

Equity

Lime pioneered a reduced-fare program for low-income riders of shared micromobility, through our Lime Access program.

Research published by Monash University in 2023 found that riders depend on the service to make everyday, essential trips and can provide a viable option for travelers with disabilities.

Read more in Streetsblog USA or in the recently-published journal article.

Women's Safety

Women ride Lime at night because they feel unsafe walking alone, and nearly two thirds (63%) stated that they would only be willing to walk a maximum of 3 minutes between a parking location and their destination, nearly double the number of men who said 3 minutes was their maximum walking time (35%).

Read coverage at Better Bike Share or in the full report.

Supporting industry-wide research and analysis

Lime has also supported broader industry research and analysis efforts.

In 2023, Lime and other shared micromobility operators in Europe collaborated to share safety and ridership data, which Micromobility for Europe analyzed and published in a safety report. MMfE’s analysis shows that fatality rates on shared e-scooters are similar to cyclists rates. They are also half as frequent as on private e-scooters, despite their incidents being often reported together.

In 2024, Lime contributed to the ITF Safer Micromobility Report which analyzed safety trends since ITF’s last report published in 2020. ITF’s analysis found that safety for people using micromobility has been improving. In Europe, the average crash risk for e-scooter riders dropped by 26% in 2022 compared to 2021.

The report also highlights the importance of safe infrastructure. Poor surface quality and unpaved surfaces have been associated with higher crash risk, while sidewalks and higher-speed traffic lanes are the least safe locations to ride.

In 2023, Lime and other shared micromobility companies worked with Emory University researchers, finding that shared scooters lead to more business for restaurants: “$179.1 in restaurant sales was created per e-scooter allowed to operate.”

Lime’s Policy Team

Lime's policy team continues to conduct and share innovative research and analysis. Learn more about the members of Lime's Policy team below.

Shari Shapiro - Head of Global Policy

Calvin Thigpen - Director of Policy Research

Brandon Haydu - Director of Transportation Policy and Analytics

Alex Liaw - Senior Manager of Safety Policy

João Lima - Senior Manager of Transportation Policy and Analytics

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