Lime e-scooters off Auckland and Dunedin streets over wheel-locking issue
Friday, 22 February 2019
Lime e-scooters have been pulled from Auckland streets for now due to a software glitch that causes the wheels to lock up.
Lime, a Californian company, has also assured Dunedin City Council it will remove its scooters from the city for the same reason.
Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton confirmed on Friday that Auckland Council and Auckland Transport had decided to 'temporarily suspend' the e-scooter trial in the region due to safety concerns.
The suspension would be reviewed on Monday.
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Kimpton said there had been 155 'irregular braking incidents' reported across the country, 92 of which were in Auckland.
Thirty people – 19 in Auckland – had been injured as a result.
Lime was expected to remove its scooters from the streets as soon as practicable, Kimpton said.
It would be required to meet certain conditions for its trial to be resumed, including delivering a report every 48 hours.
It had also been asked to meet weekly with council staff to discuss any incidents and the company's responses to those.
The council would also appoint an independent reviewer, who would have access to Lime's operations and data.
Lime had been 'actively working' over the past week to carry out maintenance on affected e-scooters, Kimpton said.
It was also working on rolling out a global 'patch' to fix the software glitch, but the timing of that was unknown.
'We have been clear with Lime representatives that the equipment used on our transport network must be safe for use,' Kimpton said.
'The safety of people using e-scooters and those that share the environment with them is our number one priority.
'While we appreciate the amenity that e-scooters offer as an innovative transport solution, safety is not negotiable.
'We want to solve this. We want action.'
Lime had also assured the council that it had followed up with those injured, Kimpton said.
Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison said Auckland Transport was treating the situation as a learning opportunity.
'This is not a reflection on our views of e-scooters. This is a trial, it's a learning process.'
Lime has also assured Dunedin City Council it will remove its e-scooters off city streets.
Unlike other cities, Dunedin had no bylaw in place that could stop the company operating, council community services manager Simon Pickford said
However, Pickford sought assurance from Lime that if the company had to suspend its operations in Auckland, it would do the same in Dunedin.
After Auckland Council's decision, a local Lime representative told Pickford the company would stay true to its word, he said.
'They've done the right thing in that they've actually said they will remove them, but obviously we're just waiting on a plan on how that actually happens,' Pickford said.
'My expectation is they'll be locked until they're removed. [On Saturday] I'd expect to see them removed from the streets.'
The company needed to demonstrate its e-scooters were safe before they were allowed back in the city, he said.
Hutt City Council city transformation general manager Kim Kelly was unable to comment on whether or not the council would be taking similar action to the Auckland and Dunedin City councils.
The council monitored Lime's progress in Lower Hutt and had so far not received any complaints regarding the wheel-locking glitch.
Wellington City Council spokeswoman Victoria Barton-Chapple said they were monitoring Lime's progress in other cities.
She said all information be considered when selecting candidates for Wellington's six month e-scooter trial.
Meanwhile, Christchurch City Council members would vote on whether to grant Lime a one-year permit to operate in the city at a meeting next Thursday.
Safety issues would be considered, council head of planning and strategic planning David Griffiths said.
Christchurch councillor Deon Swiggs was not aware of anyone in the city being injured from the wheel-locking glitch.
People enjoyed using the scooters, Swiggs said, and it would be preferable for the council to work with Lime to address any concerns.
'I don't want our city to have a knee-jerk reaction to this.'
Lime, a Californian company, launched in Auckland and Christchurch in October. In January, it was announced its Auckland trial had been extended until the end of March.
Upper and Lower Hutt got the e-scooters in mid-December and Dunedin welcomed the scooters in January.
People have since reported a raft of injuries, including broken bones and head injuries, after falling from Limes.
ACC has paid out $200,000 for e-scooter-related injuries in the past few months.
The Government was also looking at law changes that would impose a 10kmh speed limit for the e-scooters.