Lime has today announced it has launched its industry-leading Gen4 e-scooter in Salford as part of a new £1 million investment in Greater Manchester.
It follows the success and positive reception of Salford’s e-scooter trial, with Lime recently reaching 250,000 e-scooter rides in the city – 190,000 of which were made in the past 12 months alone. Lime has also now confirmed the extension of the trial with Salford City Council and TfGM until the end of the year.
The investment includes locally employed policy and operational staff, funding for e-scooter research at the University of Salford, and promotional campaigns like Lime to the Polls which recently gave riders free rides to and from local election polling stations.
Lime has also partnered with the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity to tackle homelessness across the city-region. Part of its Lime’s ‘Lime Hero’ programme, the initiative means riders can choose to round up the cost of their Lime ride to the nearest £1 in the Lime app, with the difference donated to the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity.
Conor Chaplin, Public Policy at Lime said:
“Our recent investment demonstrates our commitment to Salford and Greater Manchester. With so many riders from across the city-region embracing Lime e-scooters, and city officials committed to creating a greener transport network, we recognise the region as a national leader in adopting innovative new transport services. We have ambitions to be a long-term transport option in the area and are hugely excited to launch our latest innovation – the Gen4 scooter. The Gen4 will provide a new and improved rider experience to the residents of Salford and strengthen the role Lime e-scooters can play in offering a reliable, sustainable alternative to cars in Greater Manchester.”
Lime’s e-scooter trial in Salford has seen 60,000 riders cover a total distance of 420,000km, saving an estimated 14 tonnes of carbon emissions. 90% of these trips have been made by repeat riders who have made Lime a part of their regular travel habits, taking on average 2 trips each week.
