The partnership means you’ll be able to rent Lime electric scooters from the Uber app. Uber will also invest in Lime as part of a new $335 million funding round that also includes Alphabet.
Electric scooters are coming to Uber.
On Monday, the company struck a partnership with electric scooter provider Lime to offer their vehicles over the Uber app.
Lime already has its own mobile app, where you can rent scooters for $0.15 per minute after paying a $1 unlocking fee. But the partnership with Uber will no doubt give Lime some added exposure, as it goes up against a whole host of rivals.
When the scooters will be available for rent via the Uber app wasn’t made clear in Monday’s announcement. But in the meantime, Lime said it plans on co-branding its scooters with the Uber name.
Excited for the road ahead with @limebike. Whether you choose to ride, bike, or scoot, we’re working to put your perfect transportation option just one tap away. https://t.co/sZNu3Tfz2P pic.twitter.com/rYss3N9Ixy
Lime today also announced a new $335 million funding round, which includes investment from Uber and Alphabet, among others. “Our investment and partnership in Lime is another step towards our vision of becoming a one stop shop for all your transportation needs,” Uber vice president Rachel Holt said in a statement.
Lime said it plans on using the $335 million in funding to help the company expand globally and develop new products for consumers. Founded only a year ago, Lime already operates in 70 markets across the US and Europe. It also rents out bikes.
The move comes as Uber has been trying to get in on the electric scooter craze in San Francisco. Last month, it joined 11 companies, including Lime, jockeying for five city permits to operate electric scooter sharing services.
In addition to scooters, Uber has been expanding into electric bikes. In April, it acquired a bicycle-sharing startup called Jump. In San Francisco, you can now rent these bikes at a rate of $2 for 30 minutes.
Rival Lyft, which also wants one of those scooter permits, recently bought Motivate, which operates a number of bike share services around the country, including New York City’s CitiBike and Ford GoBike in the Bay Area.
