In October 2019, we distributed a survey to Brookline-area riders and 

collected 173 responses. Below are some of the key insights we learned: 
 

Brookline Lime riders are a diverse cross-section of the city’s residents and 
visitors, and many are not regular bicyclists: 
• 48% of riders​ live in households earning ​less than $75,000 a year​, and 
30% of riders​ make less than $​ 50,000 a year. 

• The ​average age​ of a Lime rider is ​32​, and 25% of Lime riders are 35 or 
older. 

• 82% of riders in the survey were White, 10% were Asian, and 8% were 
Hispanic. 

• 36% of riders​ in the survey identified as f​ emale​ and 61% identified as 
male. 

• Many of the riders in Brookline are local: ​74%​ report that they live, work, 
or go to school in Brookline. 

Age 
25th Percentile  Mean  75th Percentile  Maximum 
24  32  35  73 
 

 
Lime enables Brookline riders to reduce their reliance on cars: 
• On their most recent Lime rides, 3 ​ 0.8% of riders​ used Lime rather than a 
car (personally owned, taxi, or ridehailing). 

• 47.5% of riders​ used Lime to get to or from public transit within the last 
month. 

• 73% of riders​ live in households that have access to 1 or fewer cars. 

 

 
  
 

Most Recent Transit Access 

transit_access_most_recent  n  percent 
Within the last week  42  26.6 
Within the last month  33  20.9 
Within the last 6 months  25  15.8 
Within the last year  3  1.9 
Over a year ago  1  0.6 
Never  54  34.2 
Total  158  100.0 
 

Lime helps Brookline riders fulfill their everyday transportation needs. On 
their most recent Lime rides: 
• 38.7% of riders​ used Lime to commute to or from work or school. 

• 6.4% of riders​ used Lime to travel to or from dining or entertainment. 

• 32.4% of riders​ used Lime to travel to or from shopping or errands. 

 
 
Scooters are a fun, reliable, cost-effective, and efficient way for riders to get 
around Brookline, but lack of availability and bike lane infrastructure prevents 
more frequent use: 
• A common b ​ arrier​ to riding was a ​lack of dockless vehicles: 61.8% of 
riders​ stated that they had wanted to ride a Lime scooter but there were 
none available nearby. 

• Another ​barrier​ to riding was ​insufficient bike lane​ infrastructure: ​21.4% 

of riders​ listed this as a reason they were unable to take a ride. 

• 25.4% of riders​ also reported that one reason they do not ride more 
frequently is because scooters are not available at certain hours of the 
day. 

 
Below are some additional statistics related to the Brookline pilot program. 
• 31.6%​ of riders report wearing a helmet regularly during their rides. 

• 95.5%​ report having respected the service area boundaries during the 
pilot. 

• 93.5%​ of respondents support making the pilot program permanent in 

Brookline. 

Rider Responses to open ended question on why they would like the 
program to be permanent:  
“Having scooters allows me to save money and travel easier in the city. I often have small
errands to run or need transportation to a meeting or fitness class and find the time and cost of
comparable options not worth it.”

“The public transportation in Brookline is not ideal and this program really helped me get to
work on time! Without this program I would have been very late to work a lot of times.”

“It greatly improves the transit options around the town.”

“Anything to promote car-alternatives. Also, good transportation method for the compact size
of Brookline.”

“Invaluable addition to the community's transportation infrastructure. We are in a multi-model

age of transportation and towns and cities must participate in democratizing affordable
transportation for all.”

“It is a very easy and convenient way to get around to different areas and support local
businesses I would not normally go to as they’re too far away and Uber’s and too expensive.”

“Embrace the future. Shared scooters bring convenience, reduce pollution and car usage,
change mentality of commuters, make our town modern and desirable.”

“It has been great fun and a time saver. I shop more and spend more $$$ in Brookline as a
result, especially in Coolidge Corner. If these scooters were not available, I would go there only a
tenth as often.”

“I love these scooters as they’ve allowed me to save time, money, and explore the city in an
environmentally friendly way. I hope this program expands and stays in Brookline as I’ve seen a
major value to myself and family.”

“Please don’t get rid of them! They are extremely helpful and I now can’t imagine living here
without them!”

“They're actually faster than Uber/Lyft for short distances when you account for the ride taking
time to arrive. There are times when I wouldn't make the trip at all, mostly to go out to eat or
shop somewhere in Brookline, if I couldn't use the scooter to make it faster. I'm proud that
Brookline was willing to take a risk to improve the city even though it involved change.”

“I ended up buying my own scooter in order to ride back and forth from Boston on my
commute.”

“Embrace the future. Shared scooters bring convenience, reduce pollution and car usage,
change mentality of commuters, make our town modern and desirable. A town of the future
should embrace future, and shared scooters are the future.”

“It has been great fun and a time saver. I shop more and spend more $$$ in Brookline as a
result, especially in Coolidge Corner. If these scooters were not available, I would go there only a
tenth as often.”

“It’s been a lifeline to the city in lieu of effective transit beyond “last mile” connections. I work in
seaport and the longest part of my commute is before/after kenmore, where I lose hours of my
day.”