Scoot alors! The rideshare company Lime launched in Paris in June this year. Photo / Getty Images
Scoot alors! The rideshare company Lime launched in Paris in June this year. Photo / Getty Images
From today, people looking to get from A to B in a hurry can now get the duration and cost of a Lime scooter journey when looking up directions on Google maps.
Auckland is one of thirteen cities in which the feature is being rolled out as a pilot program, along with Brisbane and the US hubs of Austin, Baltimore, Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, San Antonio, San Jose, Scottsdale, and Seattle.
The search engine's inclusion of scooter hire details is a sure vote of confidence in the future of the ridesharing programme.
You'll be able to see both the time and dollar cost of taking one of the public electric scooters, as well as the distance to your closest scooter. This will all be shown in Google's Maps app, one of the most widely used navigation apps.
Google's Maps app can now help you hire Lime scooters. Photo / Supplied
Vishal Dutta, a product manager for Google, announced the partnership in a blog post, saying: "Today, we're teaming up with Lime to help you find a better way to travel these short distances. In 13 cities around the world, you'll now be able to see nearby Lime scooters,"
Users are also able to determine the time and best routes for a range of other transport options, including driving, the local public transport systems or cycling.
The "last mile" transportation share schemes such as Lime have changed the way we travel. Getting to know a new neighbourhood is far quicker on two wheels, and the eclectic scooters have added appeal to both technophiles and speed demons. Cruising on a "rideshare" scooter has become popular pastime in the tech company's home town of San Jose, California.
Following the successful trial of the Scooters internationally in Australia and New Zealand, Lime has eyed up Singapore, Mexico City, London and Stockholm for possible expansions. The scooters are now readily available to pedestrians in Paris, the world's tourism capital.
Considering Lime only launched in mid-2017, they have wasted no time in getting about.
Using the same app,ravellers can hire scooters in other cities on the program - though you might want to exercise a bit of caution before opening up the electric throttle on unfamiliar roads.
Scooters are now readily available in Paris, the world's tourism capital. Photo / Getty Images
While Google's new venture might help you hire scooters and give directions in new cities, it's best to keep your eyes on where you're going.
Cheap ride: How much does Lime cost?
In New Zealand's Christchurch and Auckland the scheme is priced at $1 to hire plus an additional 0.30 cent per minute.
At home in the States, Lime operates a flat rate of US$1 (NZ$1.45) to hire plus an additional NZ$0.25 per minute.
But the priciest ride is in Paris, where a ride will cost you one euro (NZ$1.66) to hire plus NZ$0.30 per minute. Then again, do you need to be zipping everywhere while exploring a new city? As Thomas Jefferson said, a walk around Paris was a "lesson in the point of Life."
One wonders what he would have said about electric scooters.
