Lime scooters launch in New Zealand's two largest cities

Monday, 15 October 2018

About 400 scooters, made and operated by California-based Lime, are spread throughout Christchurch and 500 in Auckland.

Electric scooters have landed in New Zealand's two largest cities.

About 400 scooters, made and operated by California-based Lime, are spread throughout Christchurch and 500 in Auckland. Those numbers will rise to 700 and 1000 respectively in the near future.

They can travel at speeds of up to 27kmh and have a maximum range of 48km.

Lime e-scooters have hit the streets of Christchurch and Auckland.

Have you ridden the scooters? What do you think? Email michael.hayward@stuff.co.nz.

Users find and unlock the scooters using an app on their phone. They are dockless, which means they can be left anywhere safe within a certain geographical area, marked out in the app.

Christchurch City councillor Vicki Buck says the scooters are 'zero emissions and a lot of fun'.

The scooters have to be parked out of the way of foot traffic or other vehicles.

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Lime e-scooter user Scott Casper says they are easy to control and go pretty quick.

The scooters are pegged as an easier to ride alternatives than bicycles, while being more suitable for those in more formal clothes. Renting one costs $1 plus 30 cents a minute, the equivalent of $18 an hour. Riders must be 18 to use the scooters.

Lime spokesman Cameron Swanson said he thought the service would do 'wonders for both cities'. New Zealand is the first country in the Asia Pacific region to get the scooters.

City councillor Vicki Buck said the scooters were 'zero emissions and a lot of fun'.

'As I see it, this city has to be about making all sorts of things possible … so the idea of electric scooters that you share is just fantastic and exactly the sort of thing that we want.'

Scott Casper took a scooter for a ride while waiting for his flight to Antarctica. He said they were easy to control and went 'pretty quick'.

'I pushed it a little bit and all of a sudden it took off.'

The scooters can be ridden on the road, footpath and off-road cycling/walking paths. The NZ Transport Agency previously said they could not be used in cycle lanes, but has since adjusted its stance.

A spokeswoman said the scooters could be used in cycleways if they were impeding traffic, so vehicles could pass safely, but it was expected the scooter rider would go back on to the road or footpath when it could do so safely.

'The main guidance for e-scooter riders is to be as safe as possible and be aware that cyclists, other road users and pedestrians may not hear them approaching.'

A wider review of the transport rules was planned, given the 'wider range of vehicles and new technologies now available for people to use', she said.

The Christchurch City Council has asked staff to work on policy allowing the scooters and other wheeled recreational devices to use the city's separated cycleways which are part of the road, to be done as soon as possible.

The council would also collect data on accident rates.

Lime operates in more than 100 places around the world. It claims its network of electric bikes, electric scooters and pedal bikes have provided more than 14 million rides.