A Letter To San Francisco

Hey, San Francisco. Let’s try again.

In March 2018 we released our shiny new scooters onto the streets of San Francisco, full of hope and excitement. The reaction was immediate but complicated. We believed we were taking a bold step into a bright future and many San Franciscans agreed. But others did not.

So although we couldn’t offer our service in the city we call home, we continued to partner with other cities across the world. As we did, we talked, we listened and, most importantly, we learned: a lot about the human and the technical aspects of urban transportation, and a little about the importance of humility. So after a long process of consultation and conversation, we’ve returned home.

Today, over half of the world’s people live in a city. Very few of those four billion love spending time in traffic. Why would they? Congestion steals billions of hours from us all and degrades our environment. We’re on a mission to change that. But it isn’t based solely on environmental concerns. For us, it’s also about access. Because the biggest barrier to social mobility and economic empowerment is distance, pure and simple. Lack of access to a network of affordable, reliable transportation hits all of us hard, and hits the poorest the hardest.

For every community to get the access it deserves, we need solutions that are not about ownership. Not about status. But are about getting you where you want and need to go. Affordably, safely, sustainably. To the job interview. To community college. To meet friends.

We’re dedicated to creating a fairer San Francisco, with a consistent and seamless mobility service for all. So we’re introducing low-income programs and cash payments for the unbanked. We're creating jobs locally, providing living wages with benefits, as well as providing flexible opportunities for homeless and at-risk individuals to earn and make a difference in their city.

We’re proud to return to the streets of San Francisco. We still sincerely believe that we’re taking a bold step into a bright future. And this time, we’d like to take that step with everyone who calls this beautiful city home. So talk to us. Tell us how we’re doing, tell us what we’re getting right, tell us what we could improve. Email us at [email protected]. Let’s build the transportation network we all deserve, together.

Respectfully,Lime