Lime’s newest e-bike model geared toward accessibility debuted in an Atlanta soft launch over the past two weeks, ahead of expansion to cities across the globe.
While Lime already offers a standard e-bike, the latest LimeBike features a lower center of gravity and a smaller frame designed with women, older adults and riders of varying ability in mind. LimeBike’s handlebar throttle allows riders to move without electric pedal assist, building off a model that incorporated a throttle to the standard e-bike line earlier this month.
Around 200 of the new bikes have hit the streets in Atlanta, with plans to expand to a standing fleet of 225 in the upcoming week. Lime will continue to offer the original e-bike and throttle e-bikes along with its e-scooter fleet.
Atlanta recorded over 1.7 million Lime rides in 2023 — a 175% increase from 2022, according to a Lime report. The city saw a total of 2.1 million rentable scooter and bike rides in 2023.
“We chose Atlanta as one of the first cities in the world to pilot our throttle e-bike and now the first city to experience LimeBike because it’s a city that advocates for and champions sustainable and alternative transportation,” Carol Antunez, Senior Manager of Government Relations, said in a written statement.
Lime also announced a mid-August Seattle launch date for the LimeGlider, a vehicle that mixes elements of an e-bike and a scooter. The ride has a padded seat but is built without pedals, disqualifying it as an e-bike under Georgia code.
LimeGlider also provides a lower center of gravity than most seated models to promote ridership among a wide-ranging audience. Lime provides shared e-bikes and e-scooters in 280 cities of nearly 30 countries.
The company previously faced scrutiny for high numbers of devices improperly parked or discarded, prompting a 2020 exit from the Atlanta market after owing the city at least $69,944 in impound and storage fees. During the initial e-scooter boom, the city struggled to regulate technology across multiple micro-mobility companies, particularly regarding illegal sidewalk riding and other traffic law violations. Safety concerns peaked when four riders in metro Atlanta were struck and killed by automobiles.
Since Lime re-entered the city in the summer of 2021, Atlanta has restructured its permitting system to allow only two vendors, Lime and Bird, for increased regulation. Rented devices cannot be ridden between midnight and 4 a.m.
Both of Lime’s new vehicles include updated technology to improve location recognition. The updates speed up responsiveness in identifying location-based parking spots, along with low-speed, restricted-access or no-parking zones. While there are not any new features specifically designed for sidewalk riding, Lime discourages sidewalk riding both through the Lime app and with labels on the vehicle, a representative said.
Lime noted in a statement that over 99.9% of global trips end without any reported incident.
“The vast majority of riders know and follow the rules, but for those who don’t, Lime warns them and encourages improvement, but reserves the right to fine and potentially even ban repeat offenders,” the Lime release said.
Critics say illegal sidewalk riding continues to be an issue, with many users feeling unsafe taking e-scooters on the street with cars. Lime recognized Atlanta’s growing investments in bike lanes to offer protected options.
Atlanta recently added protected bike lanes south of MLK Drive that earned national attention as positive bicycle infrastructure. However, bicycle advocacy group Propel ATL criticized the city’s fiscal 2025 transportation budget for failing to keep up with inflation and heightened infrastructure needs.
ATLDOT Shared Micromobility Coordinator Ashley Finch said the department is excited for the Lime launch that “supports ATLDOT’s commitment to providing sustainable and convenient transportation options for residents and visitors.”
After monitoring the Atlanta and Seattle pilots, Lime will launch both the LimeBike and LimeGlider in Zurich later this summer.
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