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Women’s Aid has announced a partnership with Lime to offer access to free e-bike and e-scooter travel for women living in refuge accommodation in London.
The Ride to refuge scheme aligns with International Women’s Day, and comes as Women’s Aid also reaches its 50-year anniversary.
Ride to refuge will be piloted in London with Women’s Aid member organisations and provide the survivors they support with access to 100,000 free minutes of active travel in 2024, with the potential for the scheme to be extended in other UK cities where Lime operates in the future.
The partnership will also offer Women’s Aid staff and volunteers a 50% discount on Lime’s service.
It comes as Women’s Aid latest research shows almost half (49%) of domestic abuse services surveyed were forced to run their organisation without dedicated funding.
Domestic abuse services often go above and beyond to ensure survivors are able to access their services and reach accommodation, which Ride to refuge will support. Women’s Aid also has a Rail to refuge programme with the Rail Delivery Group.
Women’s Aid is the national charity working to end domestic abuse against women and children.
As a federation, Women’s Aid provides life-saving services across England, while building a future where domestic abuse is not tolerated.
Farah Nazeer, CEO at Women’s Aid, commented: “We are delighted to be entering our ‘Ride to refuge’ partnership with Lime, especially during what is an incredibly poignant time for us as an organisation, marking 50 years since we were founded.
“It is a tragic reality that one in four women in England will experience domestic abuse at some point in their life, making it more important than ever for businesses to play their part in supporting them fleeing, and staying fled, from abuse and we are delighted to see Lime take the lead.
“The scheme, which is being piloted in London, will give survivors free access to electric scooters and bikes, transportation that can be so desperately needed when taking those first steps to rebuilding their life, free from abuse. Women leaving their abusers often have to attend a number of appointments to establish this new start and free travel is a fantastic way to help them get there.”
Lime continues to support and encourage female cycling across the UK more broadly, and this partnership follows its recent research into women’s night safety.
The report uncovered a significant Gender Pedal Gap – just one in five women said they feel safe cycling alone at night, with women reporting key barriers of poorly lit roads and isolated routes.
Lime is also working with government and local authorities to improve safety amongst women on the roads.
Alice Pleasant, public affairs manager at Lime, added: “At Lime, we remain committed to supporting the communities we operate in.
“We are honoured to be supporting Women’s Aid and are huge advocates for the important work that they continue to conduct and campaign for each year.
“It is our hope that we can play a small part in helping victims in London as they rebuild their lives in refuge through providing free active travel options, and a discounted service to Women’s Aid staff.”
Women’s Aid Services
Support services, which include our Live Chat that runs 7 days a week, the Survivors’ Forum, the No Woman Turned Away Project, the Survivor’s Handbook, Love Respect (our dedicated website for young people in their first relationships), the national Domestic Abuse Directory and our advocacy projects, help thousands of women and children every year.
For more information on the help available, visit: www.womensaid.org.uk
