Lime to close down app-based car-rental service in Seattle

SEATTLE – Lime will shut down its app-based car-rental service in Seattle by the end of the year to focus on electric mobility, calling the endeavour a “great learning experience” in an email to users.

The Seattle Times reports the company will start reducing the number of green and white Fiat cars in October until all 500 vehicles are off the streets by Dec. 31.

The company says no new users will be able to sign up for the program after Oct. 14. Credit in current users’ wallets may be applied to rentable bicycles in Seattle and scooters in surrounding cities.

The decision comes two months after ReachNow shuttered its car-rental and ride-hailing service in Seattle and Portland, citing a corporate “realignment.”

Lime would not confirm whether the service was profitable, but said over 18,000 Seattle drivers have taken more than 200,000 trips using the LimePod service since its launch last November.

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com