Bus or Lime bike? New subscription heats up the race for a cheaper commute

Bus or Lime bike? New subscription heats up the race for a cheaper commute

James, a 23-year-old in Salford, Greater Manchester, navigates his 15-minute journey home using an e-scooter rather than public transport. “I avoid the chaos of rush hour and the feeling of being crammed like sardines,” he explains. The recent graduate is also motivated by cost savings, emphasizing the value of spending just £4 daily on commuting during the current economic climate.

“In terms of raw affordability, £4 on your commute a day is not bad — especially in the cost of living crisis,” James says.

Lime, the US-based company behind the e-scooters and e-bikes, has introduced LimePrime, a monthly subscription aimed at making its services more competitive with traditional transport. The plan offers fixed pricing for the initial 20 minutes of trips in cities such as Salford, Nottingham, London, Oxford, and Milton Keynes, with subsequent minutes charged at a reduced rate. This strategy targets regular users and encourages greater adoption, according to Hal Stevenson, Lime’s policy director.

“The idea here is to reward our most frequent riders and also incentivise increased usage,” Stevenson says.

For instance, in Salford, the subscription costs £2.99 monthly for access to the first 20 minutes of travel, compared to £2 for a bus ride and £2.80 for a tram. Season tickets for buses and trams often provide lower prices, but LimePrime aims to bridge the gap by offering flexibility. Paige, a 22-year-old student at the University of Salford, sees the subscription as a viable option for her twice-weekly trips into Manchester. “It’s roughly the same as a bus fare, but it’s faster and more convenient — no waiting for traffic or sharing space with strangers,” she notes.

While Lime’s e-scooters and e-bikes can be parked on pavements, riders must adhere to designated zones. This contrasts with council-run bike hire systems, which require docking at fixed stations. Such differences in convenience might influence commuters’ choices, though the patchwork nature of services across UK cities could create barriers to seamless travel. In Salford, Lime users must walk to Manchester city center, where TfGM operates its own e-bike scheme, Starling Bank Bikes, as part of the Bee Network.

Starling Bikes, available in both Salford and Manchester, charges 50p to unlock a pedal bike and 10p per minute thereafter. Its usage has risen by 32% in the past year, despite lacking a subscription model. Other operators, like Dott and Voi, offer similar services in parts of the country, with Dott’s £35 monthly plan including two free 30-minute e-bike rides daily in cities including Bath and Glasgow. However, companies like Lime continue to face ongoing challenges in the UK, where residents often cite cost concerns and infrastructure limitations as hurdles.