If you would like to get around the city at a fraction of the cost, considering a scooter rental service is a perfect choice.
While shared electric scooters are available for rent in most cities, finding the ideal service for yourself might be daunting.
Having had the chance to sample different electric scooter rental services, we decided to come up with this round-up showing the best.
Table Of Contents
1. Lime: The Best Overall Scooter Rental Service In 2023
The Lime scooter sharing company offers straightforward pricing, which is one of the primary reasons we love them.
For a start, they charge you $1 and then 15 cents per minute, regardless of the rental period.
In our article on the locations where Lime scooters are available, we noted that Lime has tons of scooters across different cities in the US.
As such, chances are high that there are Lime scooters for renting in your city.
While Lime says they currently serve more than 250 cities, they haven’t tabulated how many of those are targeted by scooters, bikes only, or both.
That shouldn’t be more of a problem because Lime automatically tracks your location and directs you to the next available charging station.
Why Do We Recoomend the Lime Scooter Rental Business?
Among the vast majority of last-mile transportation users, the best scooter rental company offers affordable yet practical dockless scooters.
Even though Lime recently partnered with Uber to bring a more seamless rental scooter service, they have strived to keep their renting costs albeit low.
The costs have stayed the same for long, a privilege we haven’t enjoyed for every other mobility scooter rental we have had.
For any Lime scooter model we have recently seen, we have noted that adults can hit a maximum range of 20 miles before the batteries need to be juiced.
Having such long-range scooters is critical to the UX, which Lime seems to have capitalized on.
If you wish to know how much Last-mile transportation enthusiasts love Lime, their article on the New York e-scooter rentals shows that their riders have covered over 2.4 million miles. And that is in New York City alone!
Using a Lime mobility scooter is also easy, a fact we dearly love:
- Download the Lime APP on your mobile device
- From the interactive map, ascertain the nearest point you will find the nearest Lime scooter
- To unlock the scooter, use the Uber or Lime APP to scan the ride’s QR Code
- Start your Lime scooter and travel at a fraction of the cost
- Park the scooter at the nearest Lime designated point
- Take a photo of the Lime scooter in the parking zone to help other riders find it conveniently.
Lime Scooter Pros
- The scooters can run for 20 miles on a single charge
- The heavy duty Lime shared electric scooters have stood the test of time and quality
- Riders have the option to conveniently rent these scooters either on the Lime or Uber APPS
- Those eligible for the public benefits program can enjoy discounts of up to 70% via the Access Program
- The payment gateway integration is one of the most secure.
Cons of Lime Scooters
- If only Lime scooters could hit a higher range than 20 miles
- Since Lime doesn’t use a breath tester in its manufacturing design, drunk riders can also rent their scooters. This could be dangerous to not only those riders but also to others and pedestrians.
2. Bird: Best Electric Scooter Company for Long-Term Renting
Like Lime, Bird is another famous rental scooter company with coverage in several cities worldwide.
If you look forward to renting an electric scooter in the long-term, Bird offers a unique plan where you can rent one for a month or even longer.
This is undoubtedly convenient to most riders who want to skip the repetitive process of scooter rental every other few miles.
With different rental fleet models such as Bird One, Bird Two, and Bird Three, renters can choose a Bird scooter that best suits them.
Do you wish to rent a bike as well and maneuver your city as you maintain your bike lane? Bird has your back covered.
Unlike Lime e-scooters whose most range you expect to achieve is 20 miles, models such as the Bird one have massive batteries and you can expect to hit more than a 30 miles range.
With insurance coverage in place, Bird scooter renters always have the peace of mind that they will be well-covered in case of an accident.
Why Do We Recommend the Bird Motorized Scooter rental Business?
Bird has kept improving their models to be more futuristic and today, one can enjoy the Bluetooth connectivity prompt.
Link your mobile device to the scooter via BT and listen to your preferred Podcast or music.
A Bird scooter rider can enjoy a maximum range of 30 miles before the battery runs out of juice, which could be more convenient for long-distance renters.
Also, if you wish to ride but not just yet, Bird offers you the option to reserve your ride 30 minutes in advance.
To know how popular Bird scooters are, riders hit over 11 million miles within 3 years. And that is in San Diego alone.
Pros of Bird Rental Scooters
- With several scooter models, riders can select the mobility scooter that best fits their needs
- The fact that you can hit 30 miles in a single charge makes Bird rental scooters a force to reckon
- With Bluetooth connectivity, riders can not only enjoy cruising around but also stay entertained or learning
- With coverage in many cities and around universities, it’s easy for most riders to find their favorire rental scooter.
Cons of Bird Scooters
- With varied rental charges in different cities, costs can quickly add up depending on where you are
- Having halted operations in some major cities such as San Francisco, some riders may miss out on some unique features that Bird offers.
3. Lyft: Best Budget Business With High-Quality Scooters
In our ultimate guide on Lyft scooters, we provided the necessary details about this scooter renting service.
We noted that you pay $1 to unlock your ride and then $0.15 per minute for the actual riding.
These charges are somewhat similar to what Lime charges, and we prefer a one-off standard price compared to varied costs by cities, like Bird does theirs.
Each Lyft electric scooter has a top speed of 15 miles per hour, and you can expect to hit a full range of 50 miles for their Next Gen Scooter.
Lyft has coverage in several cities, including Washington DC and some parts of South Florida.
You can find the updated cities in which Lyft scooters are available in this article.
Why Do We Recommend the Lyft Scooter?
If affordability means anything to you, then considering a Lyft scooter is a great option.
Spending at most $0.15 per minute regardless of the city you are in and the renting period is a steal.
Considering that they have a new scooter model capable of hitting a top range of 50 miles, there won’t be unnecessary stops for you.
And that is precious time you will have saved.
Pros of Renting Lyft Scooters
- One of the most affordable scooter rental companies
- Lyft has a latest electric scooter that has a swappable battery feature and can hit a top range of 50 miles in a single charge
- Lyft leases top-notch heavy duty standard scooters to their clients
- They have a seamless mobile APP where riders can rent their preferred Last-mile rides.
Cons of Renting Lyft Scooters
- Focused on USA and Canada for now, Lyft has a limited coverage even in those countries
- The top speed of their rides could have been higher than 15 miles per hour.
4. Spin: The Best Customer-Oriented Scooter-Sharing Company
Spin is another respected last-mile transportation service, especially after Ford acquired them in 2018.
We wrote a detailed guide about Spin scooters and shared more details.
One feature that stands out about Spin is that signing up to use their vehicles is one of the easiest.
You can refer to that guide and see how simple the process is.
To maintain orderliness, Spin can terminate your agreement if you breach rules such as Parking in the wrong zones as shared on the Spin map or when you ride on a sidewalk.
Spin, just like Bird doesn’t have a fixed fee per minute.
Depending on the city where you are, you can expect to pay a varied cost of between $0.15 to $0.40 per minute, along with an unlocking cost of $1.
As such, they aren’t the most affordable option, but some of their rides can hit a top range of 40 miles before running out of juice.
If range matters more to you, then this could be your ideal choice.
To prevent the company from Liability, Spin ensures that the top speed of their vehicles is 15 mph.
Why Do We Recommend Spin?
Having introduced their new model – Spin 6, – different riders have shared positive responses about the company.
With that model, riders can enjoy always getting alerted incase they go at restricted parking areas.
That way, there is no high risk of getting their accounts closed.
Some Spin scooters such as Spin 6 also have phone mounts with wireless charging systems, a convenient feature for most riders.
Pros of Spin Scooters
- The introduction of new models with rider-focused approach brings the much-needed convenience
- With the ability to go for 40 miles in a single charge, Spin scooters have the desirable range for most long-distance riders
- Spin has partnered with several campuses to offer affordable means of transportation for students
- The ratio of Spin scooters to charging stations is appropriately balanced.
Cons of Spin Scooters
- Compared to most scooter-sharing companies, riding a Spin scooter is in the long-term relatively more expensive.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do Hire Scooters Work?
Most rental e-scooter companies follow the same process where you:
– Download a Mobile Application for your device
– Sign up to be a client
-Agree to the terms and services
– Find the nearest rental e-scooter via an integrated map
Pay an unlocking fee and then the other charges by the minute.
Most companies charge $1 as the unlocking fee but the pay-per-minute varies from a rental company to the other.
Which Rental Scooter is Fastest?
Due to legal reasons in most cities, most rental electric scooters have a top speed of 15 mph.
Do Bird Scooters Have a Time Limit?
Yes, bird scooters have a time limit of 24 hours.
From the agreement terms, a rider has to deactivate the scooter within 24 hours of renting.
After that, they may rent it again.
In Summary
Mobility scooter rental services are upsurging and in your quest to get an ROI from these last-mile transportation companies, it’s only logical for you to go with the best.
Do you wish to attain an extended range in a single charge before the battery dies or ride the latest fancy ride with many addons such as Bluetooth and wireless charging?
There is undoubtedly a scooter sharing company for you in this list.
Analyze them properly and see the one that makes your preferred cut.