Lime just launched a new subscription service in London to make its bikes as cheap as public transport

Two young men riding Lime electric bicycles on 3rd August 2025 in London, United Kingdom. A bicycle-sharing system or bike share program, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals for a fee. The programmes themselves include both docking and dockless systems. (photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images) — (Image credit: Mike Kemp / Getty Images)

Lime bikes are a staple in the city – in fact, you’re barely a certified Londoner unless you’ve been running horrendously late to something and hopped on (and probably later crashed) a bright green e-bike. The only thing that stops people from routinely pushing the pedals is the cost. But now that could be about to change.

Usually, on top of a fee to unlock the bike, you can be paying up to 30p per minute, which quickly adds up to the point where a 20 minute cycle could cost over £7 – meaning that bizarrely, taking Lime bikes sometimes fall into the category of a luxury or splurge. Thanks to LimePrime (10/10 naming), the new subscription service introduced by the e-bike company, prices will be locked in at a flat rate instead.

LimePrime is a monthly subscription, currently costing £6.99, which allows riders to bike for up to 20 minutes at a flat rate of £1.70. That makes it cheaper than both the tube and London buses, with a single journey on each costing £2.20 for the former, and £1.75 for the latter.

Lime electric bicycles parked carefully in a straight line on the pavement in London. A bicycle-sharing system or bike share program, is a shared transport service where bicycles are available for shared use by individuals for a fee. The programmes themselves include both docking and dockless systems

After 20 minutes, journeys will be charged per minute again but at a discounted rate. The subscription also gives you free unlimited locks (usually £1), and extended 30 minute vehicle reservations. Also, if you’re party-waving your journey (aka. doing a group ride with friends or family), your mates can access your flat-rate pricing too.

Wayne Ting, Lime’s CEO said: ‘This new pricing model will offer an easy and more affordable travel option for people to get around, whether it is commuting to work, visiting friends or running errands. With more people choosing e-bikes everyday, we want to build on that momentum and support the Department for Transport’s ambitions to make sure active travel is not only cleaner, but affordable and accessible too.’ According to Lime, the new deal will ‘support the department for transport’s aims to make more active travel options affordable and easily accessible for all amid rising costs of living.’

The subscription will likely come as good news to Londoners who are amenable to a green-wheeler, especially with warmer weather and lighter days on the way which makes outdoor cruising slightly more appealing. However, the news comes just after yet another London borough sets to introduce a ban on Lime Bikes, with Richmond Upon Thames looking to follow in Hounslow’s ~~footsteps~~ tire treads and outlaw them.

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Hermione Blandford is the Content Editor for Shortlist’s social media which means you can usually find her scrolling through Instagram and calling it work, or stopping random people in the street and accosting them with a mini mic. She has previously worked in food and drink PR for brands including Johnnie Walker, Tanqueray, Gordon's, The Singleton, Lagavulin and Don Julio which means she is a self confessed expert in spicy margaritas and pints, regularly popping into the pub in the name of research.

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