Dott, the company responsible for the city’s e-scooters, introduced its first bikes on July 17 as a rival to operator Lime, which has provided the main cohort since 2023.
And while 200 Dott bikes have already appeared in racks and parking spots since they were launched four weeks ago, that number is set to rise to 300.
Nottingham City Council, which works with the operators, specifies that both Dott and Lime are only permitted a maximum of 1,300 vehicles – scooter or bike – in the city.
It means that Dott will have to take 300 scooters off the street – which they introduced in early 2025 – to make way for their bikes.
Dott’s head of public policy, Iqbal Ahmed, said that having both vehicle types “maximises the appeal of our service”.
He said: “E-bikes are not generally more widely used than e-scooters; they just appeal to different demographics.
“Our user surveys show that e-bikes appeal more to women and older residents than e-scooters do. They are also preferred by some for longer trips.
“In the UK, e-scooters also require users to be 18+ and hold either a driver’s licence or a provisional licence.”
Dott’s new bikes, which are blue, and are different models to Lime’s white and green versions, even feature a pop at their transport rivals’ pricing strategy, with a sticker on the back wheel saying: “Paying to unlock? Hard pass.”
Lime bikes cost £1 to unlock, and then 17p per minute on top of that, while Dott bikes are free to unlock, but cost 25p per minute.
That means rides that last for 12 minutes or less are cheaper on a Dott bike – but rides that last for 13 minutes or longer are cheaper on a Lime bike.
Both companies also offer a number of passes and deals, allowing customers to save money.
Lime’s are:
- 30 minutes, to use within 24 hours, at £1.99
- 60 minutes, to use within three days, at £3.99
- 150 minutes, to use within seven days, at £9.99
- And 280 minutes, to use within 30 days, at £17.99
Lime’s passes save riders an average of about 70 per cent on the standard price.
There’s also their LimePrime subscription service, which costs £1.99 per month and makes unlocking free, all rides under five minutes long 50p and all rides under 20 minutes long £1.
Dott offers:
- A 24-hour two-ride pass (max 30 minutes per ride) for £3.99
- A 30-day DottFlex pass, which makes all rides £2 (max 30 minutes per ride), for £2.99
- A 30-day DottPro pass which makes all rides £1.25 (max 30 minutes per ride), for £9.99
- And a seven-day 100 Minutes pass, making rides 7p per minute (for up to 100 minutes), for £6.99
Dott also offers a free 10 minutes after every five rides (of at least eight minutes, that have been paid for without any of the above passes or deals).
Prices for both companies’ vehicles vary in other cities, such as in London, where Lime bikes are more expensive.
Mr Ahmed said: “Dott has added a fleet of e‑bikes to our existing e‑scooter service in Nottingham, giving residents a fully multimodal option that better serves a wider range of journeys and user groups.
“As we have with our e‑scooters since 2025, we do not charge an unlock fee for e‑bikes in Nottingham. We think it’s important to keep barriers low and ensure people only pay for what they actually use.”
A spokesperson for Nottingham City Council said: “We are working constructively with Dott and Lime to help ensure any services operate responsibly and minimise impacts on residents and public spaces.
“We are also seeking to maintain positive working relationships with operators as the market continues to develop. We will continue to work with them to support safe and well-managed services in Nottingham.”
By Joseph Connolly, Local Democracy Reporter
