GCUC UK 2019 – My favourite app

One balmy Parisienne evening as I lazily strolled along the tow path on the left bank of the Seine, wondering as all English people do, how on earth the citizens of the French capital manage to make having an impromptu picnic on the river bank consisting of nothing more than red wine, cheese and a baguette, look so impossibly romantic, I was confronted with something that immediately grabbed my attention and dragged me straight back to my childhood.

The coolest person you ever saw in the late summer sun, sunglasses, a blazer and neck scarf, with a fresh baguette stuck out of their coat, its crouton nibbled eagerly whilst the bread was still warm from the Boulangerie, effortless in a divine electric scooter glide… I was sold, sign me up Scotty, I want one of those!

My favourite app – Lime

Lime (https://www.li.me/) the ride sharing app that entirely changed the way I travel through Paris and now available in over 100 cities worldwide.  Instead of the Metro with its infinitely recognisable ‘Art Nouveau’ signage, where travel is underground, I was now free to navigate Overground at relative speed, or indeed at my leisure, feeling my way through the sensations and beauty this wonderfully ornate city and its monuments had to offer, suddenly and unexpectedly off the well beaten track, now traversing side streets previously unknown. The joy of Lime is; There is no destination, just the journey, and when you get to wherever you feel like being, you stop, park up, lock your scooter and leave it for the next person to begin their own odyssey.

It’s cheap, its effective and its huge fun, come join our collective community of users here Lime simply download the app, create a profile, top up some credit via card/cash/Pay Pal and locate a scooter near you. The app being particularly helpful in identifying the amount of charge left in any given scooter, and a handy picture of its immediate surroundings as left by the previous rider as part of the lock down procedure, and then by simply photographing its unique barcode located centrally on the handle bars, you are ready to go!

A few words of caution from an experienced rider…

• There’s no suspension, so stay off those cobbled streets!
• Observe and respect the safety of others and the laws of the country/city you are in
• The later it gets the less likely you are to find a ride with enough ‘Juice’ to get home
• Beware the dreaded ‘My smartphone has no juice’ syndrome, otherwise you’re definitely walking home also with no Sat Nav and in a foreign city

On this last point I would personally like to thank ‘Gustave Eiffel’ who as an engineer clearly saw the technologywithin long before the rest of us, and built quite possibly the best visual navigation beacon since the star of Bethlehem for the inexperienced Parisienne Lime user, with no smart phone or scooter juice to see them safely home.  Thanks Gustave.

What’s your favourite app?

Ahead of GCUC London 2019 we’ve decided to have some summer fun and share our favourite summer travel apps with you. We know that you’re all passionate about these things, so join in the fun and share you own favourite. Post your video on any/all social channels and tag @gcucgb @technologywithin (@techwithin on Twitter) by August 31st and be in with a chance to win 2 free tickets to GCUCUK 2019 #GCUCUK #myfavouriteapp.