To coincide with today’s (October 25) expansion of the London Ultra Low Emission Zone, the e-scooter firm Lime is offering drivers the chance to swap their old car for over £1,000 of free e-bike and e-scooter rides.
Designed to reduce air pollution and congestion in the capital, the expansion of the ULEZ scheme means drivers of non-compliant vehicles will need to pay £12.50* every time they drive in the new zone. With the average London driver making five trips per week, this could cost over £3,000 per year.
To encourage more people to go electric, any local resident within one of Lime’s London service areas who can prove they have scrapped their non-ULEZ compliant vehicle between the October 25 and November 1, will receive £1,250 in Lime credit, the equivalent of 100 ULEZ charges or 2.5 years of free Lime travel across the capital!
The initiative is intended to supplement the Mayor of London’s existing scrappage scheme, which encourages Londoners to scrap older, more polluting vehicles.
Lime riders will also be able to redeem free unlocks and rides using the promo code ‘ULEZULIME’. New riders can get 2 x free 15 minute rides and existing riders are eligible for 2 x free unlocks. This code is available to redeem in the first week of the ULEZ expansion (October 25 – November 1) and applies across the capital, helping Londoners get to where they need to go safely and sustainably.
To encourage long-term behaviour change, Lime is also committing to offering discounts on Lime journeys on days when Air Quality is forecasted to be poor. If the Capital’s air pollution rises to high or very high levels, Lime will offer snap discounts to riders, encouraging them to get out of the car and fight air pollution by taking a clean and green transport option.
“Lime loves London and we’re proud to be helping to create a cleaner, zero-emission capital,” says Alan Clarke, senior director of policy for Northern Europe at Lime. “Our scrappage schemes and discounted rides are designed to show Londoners the benefits of sustainable travel and demonstrate you can get wherever you need to go safely and conveniently whilst leaving the car at home”
“The expansion of the ULEZ is vital to improving London’s scandalously poor air quality. But it won’t be enough by itself to clean up our air,” says Simon Munk, campaigns manager, London Cycling Campaign. “We also urgently need to support Londoners in swapping car journeys for trips by cycle, e-bike and other cleaner transport options. We hope the expanded ULEZ will prompt people to consider cleaner, healthier alternatives to using the car, and are glad to see Lime making it easier for Londoners to make that switch.”
These initiatives are part of Lime’s wider commitment to providing sustainable travel across the UK, delivering a future of transport that is shared, electric and zero-emission. Lime has operated its shared e-bike service in London for three years, delivering over 4 million zero-emission rides to date, and has recently launched a successful e-scooter trial scheme in the capital too.
