Today, we've launched our Spare the Air campaign to encourage riders to think about using emissions-free transportation on days with poor local air quality. We’ll offer riders a 25% discount on two Lime e-bike and e-scooter rides when cities issue a poor air quality warning, typically during the summer months. The campaign will run until the end of the summer in twelve major cities in the United States and Europe, including Brussels, Paris, Marseille, London, Manchester, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, Sacramento, Denver, Austin and Portland.

The Spare the Air campaign aims to reduce driving and resulting air pollution, like particulate matter and ozone, allowing everyone to breathe cleaner air. In the United States, we’ll partner with WWF to educate communities about the shift from carbon-intensive transportation to a low or zero-carbon option. Spare the Air follows our “Break Up With Cars” campaign earlier this year, encouraging people to end their toxic relationship with their cars and see other transportation options.

“As we work to fight climate change, it’s important to remember local pollution matters too. With increasingly hotter days each year due to climate change, Lime is encouraging city residents to leave the car at home, especially on days with poor air quality,” said Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime. “By providing ride discounts when cities issue air quality alerts, we hope drivers will think twice before taking their car on trips that could easily be replaced by a bike or scooter. This is an important part of achieving our mission to build a future where transportation is shared, affordable and carbon-free.”

Poor air quality occurs most frequently in the summer from extra driving during the summer months and the effects of hotter weather on air pollutants. Ground-level ozone, or “smog,” becomes prevalent in the summer when polluting gasses react with sunlight and heat, which can accumulate to levels dangerous to people’s health, particularly the lungs and heart. Government environmental agencies issue alerts when they expect poor air days to occur - for example, U.S. residents can sign up for alerts for their city at the national EnviroFlash website. Our Spare the Air initiative aims to support these efforts by offering an affordable and convenient alternative to driving while urging all non-driving modes of transport.

WWF and Lime will continue to join forces to ensure safe and sustainable solutions for last-mile mobility as an essential piece in the greater sustainable mobility puzzle. The goal is the creation of “streets for people,” designed for walking, biking or taking a scooter.