Commuting with Lime e-scooters
Suited and booted, James is on his 15-minute commute home from work. But he's not on a bus, a train or a tram - he's on an e-scooter.
"I get to avoid the rush hour and being packed in like a sardine," says the 23-year-old in Salford, Greater Manchester.
James is also saving money, something he's keen to do as a recent university graduate.
"In terms of raw affordability, 3 on your commute a day is not bad - especially in the cost of living crisis."
He's one of a legion of often young people seen zipping around some of Britain's cities on bright green hired e-scooters and e-bikes operated by US company Lime. Other companies, including Forest and Bolt, and other councils run similar schemes.
And Lime's latest move appears to be an attempt to help change habits for commuters - not just those already scooting or pedalling for leisure.
It launched LimePrime at the end of February - a monthly subscription giving riders in Salford, Nottingham, London, Oxford and Milton Keynes a fixed price for the first 20 minutes of their journey. After that, riders are charged per minute at a discounted rate.
While Lime has arguably been perceived by some in the past as relatively expensive, the new subscription appears to try to undercut the cost of single journeys using buses and other forms of public transport.
In Salford, the LimePrime costs 1.50 for the first 20 minutes in return for a 2.99 monthly fee. By comparison, a single ticket from Salford to Manchester costs 2 by bus and 2.80 by tram - though season tickets for buses and trams can be cheaper.
It raises the question: will more companies and councils bring the pricing of e-scooters and e-bikes in line with buses and other traditional public transport - and can that change how we travel to work in cities?
Commuters weigh up LimePrime
Paige, 22, a student at the University of Salford, is considering buying LimePrime for her twice weekly commute into Manchester city centre to her weekend hospitality job, which she often finishes late at night.
"It's basically the same price as a bus - it's 3, at most," Paige says of her 15-minute route, "but it takes me from my door to town straightaway, no traffic.
"I also don't have to sit with other people on public transport."
The motive behind the company's new scheme is simple according to Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime.
"The idea here is that we're trying to reward our most regular riders and also incentivise increasing [use]."
He says many commuters, particularly in London, use hire e-scooters or e-bikes to reach a railway or Tube station and then hop onto a train into the city. He thinks these people in particular would benefit from the subscription.
"It's fixed basically at the same price as a bus, but it's much faster and it's more convenient because you can just pick up an individual e-bike or [e-scooter] and go."
Both Paige and James - who isn't currently a Lime r either - say e-scooters are quicker than buses for their commutes.
Lime's e-scooters and e-bikes can be parked on the pavement, though riders are required to do so neatly and in approved zones.
In contrast, many council-run bike hire schemes must be parked at fixed docking stations.
We saw Lime e-scooters dotted around Salford this week - but they can't be used in neighbouring Manchester city centre. There, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) runs its own pedal and e-bike scheme, Starling Bank Bikes, part of its Bee Network of public transport.
It means those commuting by Lime from Salford walk the rest of the way into Manchester city centre after parking up by the river dividing the two areas.
Such patchwork schemes are typical in UK cities. Without clear continuity, some commuters may be put off switching from buses, trams, trains or tubes.
Parking rows - and a balance to strike
Still, usage of Starling bikes - which run in both Salford and Manchester - is up 32% over the last year, according to TfGM. The pedal versions cost 50p to unlock and 5p per minute after that, while e-bikes are 3 to unlock and 10p per minute.
There is no subscription model currently, but, as with Lime, you can buy bundles of minutes.
Other companies like Dott and Voi also offer subscription services in parts of the country. Dott costs about 35 per month and gives users two free 30 minute e-bike rides per day in cities including Bath, Bristol and Glasgow.
But Lime and other operators have faced significant, ongoing challenges in UK cities.
A common complaint among residents where hire e-bikes and e-scooters operate, such as Lime, is they are used irresponsibly by some riders, whether that be zooming along pavements or being parked badly.
The London borough of Hounslow ended its two-year trial of Lime bikes last summer after complaints from residents about parking impeding pedestrians.
Transport for London has also begun issuing fixed penalty notices to Lime and Forest for abandoned e-bikes on the capital's roads.
Meanwhile, the Canal and River Trust has warned there is a national problem with hundreds of Lime e-bikes being dumped in rivers and canals.
Jack, 30, commutes daily by e-scooter - often in the early hours of the morning before public transport is up and running. While he's "saving a fortune" using Lime e-scooters rather than taxis to travel into Manchester from Salford for his job in recruitment, he feels it would be "carnage" if e-scooters were allowed onto Manchester's busy streets.
"Running around on these things in densely packed metropolitan areas? It would be mental."
It demonstrates how city authorities across the country are having to strike a balance between offering hassle-free e-bike and e-scooter hire, while keeping all other road users on board.
Expert views on e-scooter integration
Dr Khashayar Kazemzadeh, a lecturer in transport planning at The University of Manchester, thinks governments around the world are still in a trial and error phase here.
LimePrime has already launched in other countries - the US, Italy, Germany, Australia and New Zealand - but some major global cities have banned rental e-scooters over safety concerns, including Paris and Melbourne.
Kazemzadeh believes hire e-scooters and e-bikes have a role to play.
"About a quarter of trips in the UK are less than one mile,"he says, citing UK government data from 2024,
"so these could be done by more active modes of transport, like e-scooters or cycling."
In his view, e-scooter and e-bike subscriptions are particularly attractive to people making these kinds of journeys and younger workers, but buses, trains and the like will remain the "more inclusive" option for many others.
More choice for urban commuters
Back in Salford, James acknowledges that although not everyone is in favour of e-bikes and e-scooters in urban centres, more choice can only be a plus.
"If there are more options for people, especially in terms of affordability, then I feel that's the right direction to go in."
But what about when it rains - isn't his crisp suit going to get wet?
"Bring a coat," James says. "You're in Manchester, you're in the north."
