Micromobility company Lime are investing £20m in a London Action Plan which aims to improve the experience of riders and pedestrians by bringing parking infrastructure up to the levels required by an increased demand for their e-bikes.
The plan is divided into five parts which cover: Parking Infrastructure, Operations, Tech, Safety and Community.
The bulk of the investment will go towards Operations, with £13.4m being earmarked to increase patrols by 60%, taking the number of personnel on London’s streets to over 400. The company expect that this will see 4,000 bikes either collected or moved in the capital each day, double last year’s rate.
Lime’s £5m Parking Infrastructure investment will fund a minimum of 2,500 new dedicated parking spaces, 1,500 of which will be in place within the next six months.
In terms of Tech, Lime are introducing new features to help improve parking, such as an ‘enhanced AI end-trip photo review that prevents poor parking in real time and ensures riders cannot end their trip if they are parked obstructively or in unauthorised areas.’
Forthcoming features, which will come into effect later this year will include incentives for people to leave bikes at less crowded locations.
£250,000 will finance a safer riding campaign focussing on deterring poor and illegal cycling behaviour, such as running red lights and riding on pavements.
In the Community arm of the five point plan, £250,ooo will go to the Share the Joy Fund, which Lime run in partnership with the London Cycling Campaign. The fund awards grants to projects that enable great access to cycling, such as the London Bike Kitchen, Cycle Sisters and Wheels for Wellbeing.
Wayne Ting, Lime CEO said: ‘Since we launched in 2018, London has embraced Lime’s e-bikes. While demand has surged, infrastructure and our ability to ensure riders always have somewhere to park safely and considerately has not kept pace, leading to parking challenges across our industry.
‘This £20m plan brings together crucial changes across our business that will help improve our service so that all Londoners can get around the city easily and safely.’
The London Cycling Campaign’s Chief Executive, Tom Fyans, welcomes our investment: ‘Lime bikes are changing the face of cycling in London, bringing joy to a huge and diverse audience new to cycling in London… With this new investment, Lime is helping ensure new riders cycle and park more responsibly.’