Lime launches power-assisted bikes in its first British city – TechCrunch



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Lime was launched in the UK today, starting with a group of bikes without power bays in a Milton Keynes shopping center. The San Francisco-based startup has announced plans to expand to other UK cities in the coming weeks.

As in other markets, Milton Keynes users find and unlock Lime's Bikes, which use battery-powered engines to reduce pedaling and travel longer distances via a mobile app. Bike rides cost £ 1 (about $ 1.28) to unlock and 15 pence more per minute of driving time. They will first be available at Intu Milton Keynes Shopping Center.

Backed by investors such as Uber, GV and Andreessen Horowitz with funding of $ 467 million to date, Lime recently announced that it has reached the milestone of 11.5 million rides, just 14 months after the launch. provision of his motorcycles. The company is already present in 100 markets in the United States and Europe and plans to launch 50 new cities by the end of the year.

But the rapid growth of Me did not happen smoothly. Along with her Bird and Spin competitors, Lime was one of the companies involved in the San Francisco Electric Scooter War when she was in trouble with the city's Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). The SFMTA stated that electronic scooters create potential safety barriers and risks. In the end, Lime was denied an electric scooter license in August, a decision that was the subject of a call.

However, by choosing Milton Keynes as the UK's largest city, Lime aimed to prevent conflict by working with a city that is more responsive to transport companies. Milton Keynes was the site of an initiative called MK: Smart to integrate more Internet material objects. The project was followed by CityLABS, a program that supports data startups and IoTs. In his press release, Lime said he will "work closely with municipal leaders and stakeholders to ensure fair and respectful service delivery throughout the region."

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