Lime, Pedal Me partner to give Londoners free rides for vaccine appointments

Lime is partnering with e-cargo and passenger bike service Pedal Me to give Londoners free rides to and from their COVID jabs.

The Ride to Recovery initiative, which forms part of the £1 million investment in Lime Aid and Access in the UK, will see Londoners given a code for four free rides to use to travel to and from their jab appointments at any point this year.

With over 40% of London households without direct access to a car, the initiative is aimed at ensuring London’s vaccination centres are easy to reach for everyone.

Londoners will be able to choose whether to use the code to cycle independently to their local centre via a Lime e-bike, or use Pedal Me’s passenger bike service. The code will be provided to all existing Lime and Pedal Me users via email (over 400,000), with all Londoners able to download either app to access the free rides too. The code for February is LDNRIDETORECOVERYFEB.

As part of Ride to Recovery, Lime is also in talks to deploy bikes directly at London’s key vaccine centres for patients and staff to use free of charge. The initiative builds on Lime’s pre-existing support for key workers in London, with over 10,000 free rides already provided to frontline workers in the capital via its Lime Aid policy launched in October 2020.

Ride to Recovery will also see Lime and Pedal Me use their platforms to share approved public health information on COVID-19 vaccines, using email and in-app messages to help encourage London users to do their bit and get the jab. Additionally, as the capital begins to open up, Lime will use the Ride to Recovery scheme to support London businesses, discounting rides that end on local high streets to encourage COVID-secure footfall to shops and restaurants.

Ben Knowles, CEO and co-founder at Pedal Me, said: “Our Ride to Recovery initiative demonstrates the critical role e-bikes services can play in keeping people, and cargo, moving in cities. We’re excited to be offering this free service in partnership with Lime to help Londoners access vaccinations safely, conveniently and sustainably – helping the capital to recover as we move through the pandemic.”

Alan Clarke, director of policy and government affairs for UKIN at Lime, added: “We’re proud to be partnering with Pedal Me to provide free rides to all Londoners due to receive their COVID jabs in the coming months. Our Ride to Recovery initiative will give anyone that needs it a safe, socially distanced way of travelling to and from their vaccine appointment. It’s an important journey, and we want to ensure no one is left behind.”

Ride to Recovery is also live in Milton Keynes and Salford, where Lime is currently running e-scooter trials.

Read the February issue of BikeBiz below: