Could “Scooting” Home Be Cheaper Than an Uber?

I was zipping around on a Lime Scooter all night last night during commercial break. It was cold outside and I didn't even care--flying around out empty parking lot along Parkcenter Boulevard at 15 miles per hour was a riot. I even brought the infamous Lime Scooter into the office and zipped around our cubicles--I only crashed once.

After about 30 minutes of riding around I realized that I was "on the clock"-- riding these things isn't free. I checked my app and realized for all of that scooting, I was only down about $4.00.  Not bad, if you ask me.  Would I normally pay $4.00 to ride around my work parking lot? Absolutely not. But this led me to think about what these scooters could actually be used for: getting from point A to point B. Could this be a more viable option than Uber or Lyft? Some simple math might have the answer.

On the weekends, you can catch me ubering home from the corner of 6th & Main after a night at China Blue. So, I'll use this is my starting point. I live exactly 2.2 miles away from China Blue according to Google Maps.

WITHOUT a surge price, Uber tells me that a ride home would be $7.92.  Keep in mind, those rides surge often around the hours of bar-close downtown Boise.

Jumping on a Lime Scooter will cost you $1 to start and $0.15 for each minute of riding. For me to get 2.2 miles home on a Lime Scooter going 15 miles per hour-- that would take 9 minutes (I'm rounding up).  Add it all up and I'm looking at $2.35 to get home.  That's significantly cheaper than an Uber-- savings enough to buy some late night food, too.

SO, would you scoot home if the distance was reasonable? By the way-- you don't NEED to scoot home from a night club. If you don't mind zipping along, you could save some serious Uber money.