Micromobility giant Lime has deployed e-scooters in Tokyo, its first Japanese city.
The inaugural launch builds on Lime’s three consecutive years of 30% year-on-year growth and $600 million of gross bookings in 2023.
Lime has launched 200 e-scooters in total. These are a mixture of normal Gen4.1 e-scooters and Gen4.1 seated e-scooters, which have been deployed in Shibuya, Shinjuku, Meguro, Setagaya, Toshima and Nakano, marking the first step towards its expansion across East Asia.
“Japan is unique as a market because local regulations require riders to begin and end every ride at a ‘port’ – a privately-owned street-level space leased by operators for e-scooter parking,” Lime Country Manager in Japan Terry Tsai told Zag Daily.
“We’re launching with a limited number of vehicles and over 40 ports to start so that our operations team can gain familiarity and expertise with the new operating model. Once we nail the basics, we plan to scale our service from there, with the speed dictated by our port acquisition team and operations team.”
Lime says its Gen4.1 seated e-scooter is the first of its kind in Japan, designed to be a comfortable alternative to standing scooters and catering to young riders and the elderly. Riders can also use the e-scooters storage space to carry groceries or other items.
Last month, Lime unveiled two new seated vehicle designs – the LimeGlider and LimeBike – in Atlanta, Seattle and Zurich to appeal to women and older riders.
The launch in Tokyo comes shortly after Lime relaunched its services in Athens and Thessaloniki this summer, and expanded in several markets such as New York City, London, Paris and Chicago.
“Our launch in Japan is a long-term investment in Lime’s continued growth,” Terry said. “After returning nearly $100 million in Adjusted EBITDA, we’re now taking steps to think about where else micromobility can play a meaningful role in people’s lives and what horizons exist for Lime to help achieve our mission.
“Given the high density, strong public transit and high commuting and tourism levels in Japanese cities, we see this as an ideal setting for expanding micromobility services and we look forward to serving Japanese riders for years to come.”
