Lime scooters likely to launch in Wellington before the end of summer

Monday, 12 November 2018

Lime scooters could soon be coming to the capital.

Wellington looks set to be the next city to get in on the electric scooter action with Lime in talks with Wellington City Council.

Hot on the heels of dual launches in Auckland and Christchurch, the US-based company wants to bring its electric scooters to the capital

Lime co-founder and vice president of expansion Caen Contee, in Wellington this week for the Traffic Institute (Trafinz) annual conference, said talks with key stakeholders had been positive.

Lime co-founder and vice president of expansion Caen Contee says with all going to plan e-scooters could launch in Wellington in the next couple of months.

'We've been more than fortunate to see both sides of the table in terms of city officials and corporate leaders who really see this as an opportunity to build something that solves their needs.

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Lime staffers are in talks with city officials to see the popular e-scooters set up this summer.

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The company launched in Auckland and Christchurch earlier this year with Kiwis clocking up hundreds of thousands of rides already.

* Auckland Mayor orders urgent scooter safety probe after councillor almost hit

* ACC receives 38 electric scooter-related injuries two weeks after launch**

Contee had been working hard to ensure riders and other road users were kept safe, rolling out a new safety campaign as well as providing helmets.

'We will only work in cooperation with them but I think it's not unreasonable that we could have a programme here in the next couple of months,' Contee said.

Lime currently operates in more than 125 markets and had clocked at least 20 million rides in the last 18 months.

The scooters, while popular, have faced their share of backlash with Auckland City Council launching an urgent scooter safety probe after a councillor was almost hit.

The Government is also looking at legislation of low-powered vehicles, the category the e-scooters fit into.

Contee had been working hard to ensure riders and other road users were kept safe, rolling out a new safety campaign as well as providing helmets.

'A core part of allowing us to operate requires us to be conscientious and ultimately create the most safe programme to enable cities to feel like they're adopting something that is in its best interest.'

Despite the controversies, Lime isn't the only company eyeing the capital with Onzo also looking to enter the e-market.

Chief growth officer Min-Kyu Jung confirmed on Monday that following the company's bicycle trial, Onzo would be looking to introduce its own e-scooters to Wellington.

Safety was of the utmost importance to the company, given the recent negative coverage of some e-scooters.

'I wouldn't say I'm nervous, I think the risk has been overblown especially when you compare them with traffic accidents,' Jung said.

Onzo's six-month trial ends early next year.