Lime, a shared electric micromobility company, announced a partnership to integrate electric scooters and bikes into the Moovit travel planning app. Next week, the Israeli app will include Limes vehicles as an option for travel in tandem with public transport.Nearby Lime vehicles will be available in Moovit in 117 locations across 20 countries including the United States, South Africa and Australia. According to Lime, this partnership represents the largest ever micromobility integration in an app dedicated to mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), based on the number cities involved. In the coming months, it plans to add 40 more cities.Lime and Moovit are a subsidiary to Intels Mobileye. This partnership follows a growing trend in transportation that combines ridesharing, public transit and micromobility into a single system. Uber, one the Limes's leading investors, presented a whitepaper in which it laid out its plans for facilitating such a centralization. St. Louis Metro Transit is one example of a public transit agency that has seen a decrease in ridership. They hope that third-party apps will help them to bring it back. Some might see the joining of forces as a way for commuters to move seamlessly from their home to the station, without adding to carbon emissions.The partnership shows that mobility companies are aware of the need to work together to provide riders with more options for public and shared transport, Nir Erez (Moovit CEO and co-founder) said in a statement. A MaaS platform must offer more options to get people to their destinations, especially in congested areas.Lime is touching upon a moment in time with cities. This will no doubt lead to more permits for the micromobility kingpin. Many cities have embraced micromobility and created recovery plans that emphasize sustainable mobility as a result of the pandemic.Moovit is a company that focuses on local travel and planning commutes. Helping users to access micromobility as part these journeys will help reduce car travel and encourage people to use public transit again, Tiffani, senior manager of Limes corporate communication, said TechCrunch. We want cities to see us as a partner who works with the wider transit ecosystem. We offer an add-on service that facilitates and encourages transit connections, particularly in areas where they are often not available. We want transit riders to use our service to get back to transit. Our goal is to not replace transit trips but car trips.According to Moovits COVID-19 mobility reports, public transit is on the rise in major cities such as New York, Paris, and London. This is likely why Lime is trying to enter the market. According to the company's data, 41% of scooter rides by Limes were taken during peak commute hours. This data also shows that historical data has revealed a substantial number of Lime rides linking riders with public transit.Lime can also be integrated with Google Maps. This is one of the most popular MaaS apps worldwide, although it would not say how many cities Limes vehicles have been integrated with the app. Google Maps allows users to choose whether they want to travel by car, public transport, walking, or bicycle to their destination. Bikers have the option to use Limes vehicles to transport them throughout their journey. Moovit will feature Lime vehicles to provide first- and last-mile mass transit solutions.Google Maps and Moovit allow users to see where a Lime vehicle is located, how long it will take to get there, the estimated trip cost, and remaining battery percentage. After clicking the logo, users will be taken to the Lime app to unlock the journey.
