Google Maps has become more than just a way for you to drive from one place to another. They have been adding features over the years for commuters, food connoisseurs, tourists, and even just your regular ole walkers (no, not the zombie ones). The latest new thing that they’re adding is for those who need to go somewhere that’s too close for cars or buses but a bit too far or inconvenient for just walking. You can now see if there are nearby Lime scooters and bikes that you can rent to get to where you’re supposed to go.
If you’re not familiar yet with Lime, it’s an app and service that lets you rent electric scooters, electric assist bikes, and smart pedal bikes. Google’s parent company Alphabet and Google Ventures are investors in the company and GV partner is actually the COO of Lime so it’s just logical that they partner with them. When it’s available in the area you’re in, Google Maps will show you where the scooters or bikes are available, under the transit icon options.
You will be able to see how long it will take you to walk to the Lime vehicle and an estimate of how much it will cost you to rent the bike or scooter. It will also show you an estimate of your total journey time as well as your ETA wherever you’re going. When you tap on the Lime card, you will be brought to the app itself since the transaction will have to happen there and not on Google Maps.
If you don’t have Lime installed in your phone just yet, tapping on the card will bring you to the Google Play Store so you can install it. You will of course have to log in with your registered account so if you don’t have one yet, you’ll have to create one of course so you’ll be able to rent from Lime. It’s pretty painless anyway, just like with your ride-sharing apps and accounts like Uber.
Once you confirm your rental, you will then be given the code with which to unlock the bike or scooter. If it’s your first time to use Lime, don’t worry, you’ll get step-by-step instructions on what to do. This Google Maps feature is currently available in 13 cities around the world including Auckland, Austin, Baltimore, Brisbane (AU), Dallas, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, San Diego, Oakland, San Antonio, San Jose, Scottsdale and Seattle but they’ll be adding more cities soon.
SOURCE: Google
