I should preface this post by admitting that I have used LimeBikes at least fifty times since arriving on campus and although I appreciate them for their convenience, I resent them for being marketed as a green technology. In reality, LimeBikes aren’t reducing CO2 emissions by replacing cars, they are replacing walking for people who are in a rush or are to tired to walk from point A to point B: Daily car-driving commuters would never replace their car for a daily LimeBike ride simply because it would cost less to buy a brand-new bike than it would to ride a LimeBike to and from work for a couple of months.
The entire bikesharing business model preys on individuals with little financial foresight (like myself and many others on college campuses). A sensible person could purchase a cheap bicycle (still of higher quality than those atrocious LimeBikes) for less than the cost of fifty rides, however most people with a very limited amount of money aren’t inclined to spend a hundred dollars on a bike– even if it means saving money in the long term. Lime and other bikesharing companies like Bluegogo, Spin, and Ofo are very aware of this fact which is why companies are fighting for exclusive contracts with college campuses, while bikesharing in some major cities is failing miserably. For example, in Dallas, TX, all five major bikesharing companies have reported losses, while on most college campuses these companies are making sizeable profits.
Back in high school, I rode a bike pretty frequently. Although I had a car, I would often elect to ride my bike for exercise or when traveling short distances, however I would never use a LimeBike (or any other pay-to-ride bicycle) as a replacement for driving the car, because it is impossible to justify paying to ride a bike when I could just as easily drive a car or ride my personal bike for free. When I came to college, I decided not to bring a bike but I imagine that I would never use a LimeBike if I had, likewise I would never use a LimeBike as a replacement to a car. Despite the clear evidence that LimeBikes are being used primarily as an alternative to walking (and not driving), Lime markets its product as an eco-friendly alternative to driving a car. In fact, each time you complete a ride on a LimeBike, the mobile application estimates the amount of CO2 emissions that you saved by biking instead of driving. Furthermore, Lime and similar companies have damaged the perception of bikers by enabling a few reckless bikers, who do not follow traffic laws or respect pedestrians on sidewalks, to be associated with the greater community of lawful and respectful bikers. Ultimately, bikesharing is an appealing concept, (and one that may work in other places) but Lime has used deceptive business practices to establish a monopoly, overcharge users, defraud environmentally conscience people, and ruin the culture of biking on NC State’s campus by enabling negligent riders.