Source: MIL-OSI Submissions
Source: Lime
$500,000 investment in New Zealand and Australia comes as Lime celebrates nearly 3 years in New Zealand and looks to assist cities in their emergence and recovery from the pandemic
Auckland (September 15) – Lime today launched its “Lime Access” scheme across New Zealand, providing discounted rides of at least 50% to support lower income users, marking a significant investment in its shared micro-mobility services in Aotearoa. Lime Access is Lime’s largest worldwide transportation equity program, aiming to make micro-mobility options more accessible to lower-income individuals and underserved communities by offering discounted rates to eligible riders. Lime Access will be available immediately for Lime riders in Auckland, Christchurch, Hamilton, the Hutt Valley, and Tauranga. Anyone with a valid Community Services Card will be eligible to participate. Lime expects to invest $450,000 in the equitable pricing support scheme in New Zealand and Australia. Lime will work to spread the word so that as many residents as possible take advantage of this program, using advertising, in-app messaging, social media, EDM, and leveraging local partnerships such as Orange Sky to do so. Information on how to apply is available via the Lime website.
Lime will also launch its Ride to Recovery initiative, a global push to help cities get moving again by encouraging Lime riders to get vaccinated. Lime’s Ride to Recovery initiative has been helping users get to and from their vaccine appointments in cities all over the world by ensuring transportation is not a barrier in getting vaccinated. Riders CAN upload their vaccination booking confirmation on Lime’s portal to receive two free rides (up to 15 minutes each) in order to travel to and from their appointment. Lime will also continue to communicate helpful vaccine information to its users via in-app messaging and on its owned channels. Lime has committed $50,000 to this campaign in Australia and New Zealand.
“Lime is proud to have provided the residents of the cities we serve with a safe and sustainable open-air form of transport throughout the pandemic. Now we are proud to make even deeper investments in New Zealand’s pandemic recovery and equitable transport efforts. We want to help every city we serve in New Zealand get moving again by ensuring residents have access to safe, sustainable, open-air transport options. We’ll build on that by helping people get their vaccinations and by continuing to support frontline workers. We look forward to working with the city to ensure these initiatives reach as many New Zealand residents as possible,” said Hugo Burt-Morris, General Manager, Lime Australia and New Zealand.
Lime has been providing shared electric vehicles in New Zealand for 3 years now, and riders have taken over 7 million rides in that time. Lime launched its Lime Access initiative to remove barriers to mobility for lower income users in Aotearoa. Existing transport networks do not always reach every community equally, while rideshare and personal cars are expensive and carbon intensive. Eligible users will be able to use the service to travel door-to-door to important commitments like job interviews and doctors appointments in an efficient and cost effective way. Lime Access eligibility will be initially determined by the Community Services Card, but Lime will work with local community groups and Councils to add further eligibility, and ensure equitable access is available to as many people as possible.
The scheme means that a Lime Access user would be charged as little as $1.85 for a journey of 2km, far below the cost of the average Uber ride or trip on public transport, helping lower income riders to take advantage of the safe, socially distanced service.
To protect its riders and the wider community, Lime continues to invest in COVID-secure protocols, including following public guidelines and recommendations for disinfection and cleaning its e-bikes and e-scooters regularly.
