Lime e-scooter suspension: Juicers losing income as Auckland ban continues

Wednesday, 27 February 2019

Auckland's Lime scooter ban is taking its toll on people who rely on an income from charging the electric vehicles.

It's been five days since Auckland Council suspended Lime's operating licence over a glitch that caused wheels to lock unexpectedly mid-ride.

On Wednesday, there was still no clear picture as to when the ban will be lifted and since their removal from the streets last Friday, hundreds of scooters have sat gathering dust at Lime's depot in Kingsland.

About 25 juicers - the people who collect scooters at night and charge them - gathered at nearby Neighbour Bar to commiserate their loss of income.

He said Lime's suspension would put him out about $400 per week.

Auckland Council temporarily suspended Lime's operating licence over a glitch that caused unexpected wheel locking mid-ride.

* Lime e-scooters off Auckland and Dunedin streets over wheel-locking issue

* Lime says it's fixed dangerous brake bug**

Some quit their main jobs to do their juicing role full time because the money was better.

A full time juicer can earn upwards of $1000 per week before tax.

Lime offers on average $7 per scooter charged, and a juicer working full time could charge about 24-35 scooters a day.

Others, like university student Tom Morton, only do it part time.

Morton was in the first uptake of juicers when Lime burst onto the New Zealand market in October.

Juicers pick up Lime e-scooters, charge them and put them back on the street in the morning.

He said the ban was 'definitely necessary' in light of safety concerns but admitted he was about $400 per week out of pocket as a result.

It did sting the wallet a little, he said, but it didn't affect him as much as some of his fellow juicers, who were still paying off the vans and trailers they bought to increase their juicing capacity.

Another juicer said: 'It doesn't impact me much as I've only done it for a couple of weeks as a fun way to earn a bit of extra cash on top of my 9-5 job.

'It impacted some fellow juicers who quit their full time jobs to do this full time, they could have been making around a grand a week in a time that suits them and they are in the mercy of the ban.'

Lime spokeswoman Lauren Mentjox said there were about 80-120 active juicers in Auckland, with thousands more on the waiting list.

'We're very conscious that the suspension affects them, especially those who do this as a full time job now.

'Juicers come from all walks of life, we've got full timers, we've got part timers, mums, dads, families, people saving for their honeymoons … there are a whole range of reasons why [people become juicers].'

She said the get-together was planned long before the suspension was announced, but it was now more important than ever to get everyone together and chat.

'This is a opportunity for them to meet each other, ask questions of us and get some feedback.'

At the get together, NZ juicer manager Sasha Fidler said the company had submitted extra information about how it was dealing with the glitch to Auckland Council and were awaiting further instruction.

Auckland Council confirmed it had received the extra information and was reviewing it on Wednesday.

The council's chief operating officer, Dean Kimpton, said the council was also waiting on an independent report into the root cause of the glitch.

Lime's independent reviewer, Exponent, has indicated its review is continuing and said it would provide further information to that already delivered, by the end of the day on Wednesday.

'The licence suspension will continue until we have this information and have completed our review,' Kimpton.