Lime To Offer ‘App-Less’ Scooter Rentals Using QR Codes

Lime has launched a feature that allows customers to use their service without ever opening or downloading their app, the electronic scooter and bike rental company said in an announcement on Wednesday (March 24).

“We’re thrilled to announce that starting today, Lime riders will be able to walk up to a scooter and start riding, regardless of whether they have our app on their phone,” the company announced on its website. “This new feature is a first for the shared micromobility industry and provides the most seamless experience for Lime riders to date.”

Using Apple’s App Clips feature — or Instant App on an Android device — riders can simply walk up to a scooter and scan its QR code with their phone camera, open App Clips/Instant App to confirm the ride and pay using Apple or Google Pay.

“This new feature makes Lime more accessible to riders, including those who are new to our platform and haven’t downloaded our app yet,” said Zach Kahn, senior product manager at Lime. “With app-less riding, new riders can try out our service without the process of downloading our app, and regular riders can cut out several steps to quickly start a ride. We know our riders are on the go and we want to get them on their way as seamlessly as possible.”

The new feature follows Lime’s announcement earlier this month that it was making a $50 million investment in e-bikes.

The company has previously expressed a goal of owning “all trips under five miles,” as CEO Andrea Ellis said in an interview with PYMNTS last year. To that end, Lime has launched new versions of its scooters and also overhauled its app to allow users to find not only its bikes and scooters, but also those offered by its competitors. Lime achieved profitability in the final quarter of last year and was on track to become profitable for the whole of 2021.