Lime to analyse FIFA World Cup travel patterns

Lime will use the FIFA World Cup 2026 to better understand how residents and visitors move around host cities during major events, generating insights that could help inform future transport planning.

Large-scale sporting events provide a unique opportunity to examine how urban mobility networks perform under periods of intense demand, according to Luiza Garcia, Events Strategy & Planning at Lime.

“We’ll be closely monitoring trends such as trip volumes, popular routes, peak travel times, connections to transit, and travel patterns around stadiums, fan zones, and entertainment districts,” she told Cities Today.

Garcia said the findings could help cities better understand how residents and visitors navigate major events, informing future planning around transit integration, bike and scooter parking, pedestrian access and kerb management.

The analysis is expected to provide new evidence on how people move around host cities during major events, potentially informing future decisions on transit integration, kerb management, micromobility parking and pedestrian access.

Lime’s programme comes as cities prepare for significant increases in visitor numbers and transport demand during the FIFA World Cup. The company plans to deploy more than 14,000 additional vehicles across selected markets, supported by dynamic fleet rebalancing, dedicated parking corrals and expanded on-the-ground operations teams.

The operator will also evaluate dedicated parking and valet operations near stadiums and fan zones during periods of peak demand.

“We’ll also be evaluating how designated parking and valet operations perform in high-demand environments, including how they can help manage kerb space, improve rider compliance, and create a smoother experience for residents and visitors alike,” Garcia said.

She added that Lime has been working with local partners to plan operations around expected travel patterns and demand, with the aim of making journeys as seamless as possible across host regions.

Alongside the operational programme, Lime has launched a Fan Pass offering riders up to 90 minutes of travel over a five-day period for a fixed price of up to US$15, depending on the market. Available across host cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, the company will monitor adoption rates, repeat usage and the extent to which the pass helps riders complete first- and last-mile journeys to matches, fan zones and other tournament destinations.

“Our primary goal with Fan Pass is to make it easier and more affordable for people to choose micromobility during the tournament, when travel costs can often increase and demand is high,” Garcia said.

While the initiative is focused on supporting travel during the FIFA World Cup, the company said it hopes the findings will provide a better understanding of how micromobility can support cities during future periods of peak demand, including major sporting events, festivals and other large public gatherings.

Main image:  Igor Skryagin | Dreamstime.com