On my way into work this morning, a tradie stopped me, pointed to a Lime bike on the street corner, and asked, “Do you know how to work these things?”
My new friend is one of hundreds of Sydneysiders switching to the Lime-powered lifestyle, and the electric bike brand is showing no signs of slowing down.
This week, the world’s biggest shared e-vehicle company has officially clocked 1 billion rides worldwide. To celebrate, the company has chosen Sydney as the first in the Southern Hemisphere to roll out its next-generation LimeBike.
The new wheels are now dotted around the city beside the older vessels: smaller, sturdier tyres; a low-step frame; ergonomic hand grips designed for long, lazy rides; and a portrait-oriented phone holder that solves the balancing-Google-Maps-on-your-thigh dilemma. The new bikes also feature upgraded onboard tech for sharper location accuracy (including parking zone navigation), new easy-to-unlock helmets, and a modular, repair-friendly design, making them more sustainable and user-friendly.
But the upgrade isn’t just physical. If you’re a committed rider, the new LimePrime subscription means cheaper, simpler trips: $2.75 for rides up to 20 minutes, $1.50 for sub-five-minute scoots, and discounted per-minute rates when you’re going the distance – all for a flat $4.99 a month with unlimited free unlocks.
At the launch of the new bikes, Lime’s Asia Pacific lead Will Peters explained that the aim is to introduce more parking zones throughout the city, making the Lime life easier for commuters (and quelling some of the rage directed at mis-parked bikes).
“Launching LimeBike in Sydney is a major step toward a more accessible and sustainable city,” he said. “With this new generation of bikes, every Sydneysider now has a vehicle – one that’s easy to use, built for the city’s landscape, and designed to make getting around greener, simpler, and more inclusive.”
While corporate optimism along these lines can sometimes feel like a hard sell, Lime’s vision to become a key player in making Sydney a more accessible city actually lands. With a growing network of bike lanes, a population increasingly allergic to traffic, and a city built for breezy journeys along shady streets, Sydney is prime (pun intended) for cleaner, faster and more joyful ways to move.
You'll find the new Lime bikes in Lime parking zones and bike racks across the city.
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