Lime's green scooters will soon be visible in new cities in France.
In any case, this is the wish of the Californian company, the world leader in free-float scooters.
In the columns of
Echo
s this Friday, the company announces its intention to settle in “
5 to 6
” new cities next year.
“
We can now operate in cities of any size.
We hope that the municipalities will be encouraged to launch calls for tenders within the framework of the new mobility law
, ”Ghassan Haddad, the head of public affairs for Europe, told the daily.
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The company had tried unsuccessful deployments in Bordeaux, Toulouse or Lyon where the municipality finally preferred its competitors this summer, the French Dott and the German Tier.
Last July, the city of Paris decided to allow it to continue its activity.
But Lime will have to share, for two years, this market with Tier and Dott, also selected to provide Parisians with the famous free-floating scooters.
Like its competitors, Lime will not be able to operate more than 5,000 models in the City of Light.
But the stakes are high because Paris is the world capital of micro-mobility, the one where scooter trips are the most numerous.
Profitability
Lime now wants to go further in France.
To do this, the Californian company intends to build on the good results recorded in the third quarter.
Despite the Covid epidemic, Lime posted a positive operating result over this period.
"
We are confident because we managed to be profitable this summer despite the absence of tourists, who constitute a significant part of our clientele, in most of the cities where we operate
", underlines in
Les Échos
Ghassan Haddad.
This result was not achieved without effort.
The company notably chose to withdraw from 12 major cities in the United States (Atlanta, Phoenix, San Diego, San Antonio) and in Latin America (Bogota, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Lima, Puerto Vallarta, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo).
In addition, around 100 jobs have been cut.
A new mode of transport
Having become profitable, Lime is now relying on a fleet of more resistant scooters with a removable battery and compatible with its Jump electric bikes, bought from Uber last May.
These bikes made a big comeback in the capital in July, allowing Lime to offer two micromobility offers.
The head of public affairs for Europe is also announcing the arrival of a new mode of transport in the first quarter of 2021, particularly in Paris.
It could act, according to
Les Echos
, of an electric scooter.
