‘Lime Aid’ covers “healthcare workers, public safety workers and law enforcement workers who are helping to keep our cities safe during this unprecedented time”.
Cities in the US where this is available include Baltimore, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Nashville and Washington, DC.
In the rest of the world, riders can use Lime scooters in Paris and two cities in Germany - Berlin and Cologne – as well as Israel’s capital Tel Aviv.
The free rides are also on offer in Rimini in Italy, where Lime has donated scooters to the Red Cross for medication deliveries too.
The coronavirus pandemic has forced scooter firms to draw in their horns in a variety of markets.
Lime insists its new service is for “essential rides only”, adding: “No joyriding, and please follow your city’s shelter-in-place orders.”
The company says it will expand to more cities in the coming weeks as it “continues to formalise local partnerships with public health officials, community organisations and other key stakeholders”.
David Spielfogel, Lime’s chief policy officer, said the company recognises “the critical role of micromobility in serving transportation needs now and as we emerge from this crisis”.
Eligible workers can sign up here.
