Google Maps will now point you to a rental scooter or bike in London, Oxford and Milton Keynes
Last December, Google Maps rolled out a feature where it would integrate Lime’s scooter and bike share services into Google Maps. Chances are you won’t have seen it yet though: it was a soft launch in just 13 cities in three countries. That trial was presumably successful because Google has expanded the feature to over 80 around the world, including London, Oxford and Milton Keynes.
To be clear, you still have a far better chance of seeing it in action if you live in the United States, where a massive 59 cities have the implementation. Outside the USA, if you don’t live in Brussels, Calgary, Christchurch, London, Lyon, Madrid, Malaga, Malmö, Marseille, Mexico City, Milton Keynes, Oxford, Pamplona, Paris, Poznan, Stockholm, Sydney, Tel Aviv, Vienna, Warsaw, Wellington, Wroclaw or Zaragoza, it’ll be like nothing has changed. You may not have to wait too long for a wider roll out though, as Google says that more will be “coming soon.”
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The feature works in the same way Maps integrates Uber and Lyft. If you go to plot a route in Google Maps between two locations, the app will list the usual mix of buses and trains, but will also offer Lime as an alternative if there’s one nearby. As it does with Uber, it’ll list the amount of time the journey should take, as well as an estimate of how much it’ll set you back.
Google doesn’t see electric bikes or scooters as an alternative for a long-haul trip, and the blog post suggests they’ll only appear for “short distances”, or as a small part of a bigger journey.
The feature is available now for iOS and Android.
Any Lime scooter points near you? Let us know if this Maps feature will help you via Twitter: @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
