Since launching in Bucharest in May, Lime scooters have enabled hundreds of thousands of rides throughout the city and become a staple of urban mobility in the Romanian capital.

With the early success, however, has come an important question: what do you do when less than 20% of your scooter riders identify as female?

This was the challenge facing Lime’s local team after the results of a recent survey indicated a disproportionately low percentage of female ridership in Bucharest compared to global averages.

According to operations manager Luca Mateescu, while women in the Romanian capital are more likely to ride for longer periods of time than men, “we were surprised to see that safety concerns seemed to play such a large role in keeping so many from trying this clean and efficient form of urban transportation.”

As a first step to address the issue, Lime set up a specialized First Ride safety academy on Thursday, August 15. The day-long event featured knowledgeable staff on hand to answer questions and offer free rides on a protected off-street course.

Like all Lime First Ride Academies the training, activities and information were open to the public, however free helmets and discount codes were specifically offered to first time riders identifying as female. More than 100 participants attended overall, with 60 helmets given away.

“Micromobility access does not have a glass ceiling,” said Luca Mateescu. “Lime is committed to building trust with our riders and demonstrating that scooters are safe whether you’re wearing sneakers or heels. By analyzing data and listening to public feedback here in Bucharest, we can continue to develop tailored solutions to the unique issues that matter most to our riders.”

Lime’s First Ride Academy has been a staple of its global safety outreach initiative since launching in Paris this spring. The company will be offering more tailored events in the future to help make micromobility even more accessible in the Romanian capital.

To learn more about Lime safety and community initiatives happening near you, subscribe to 2nd Street, or download the Lime app to take an electric scooter ride in Bucharest today.