Lime e-scooter trial ends March 31

Electric scooter ride-sharing company Lime’s licence and trial period has been pushed out to the end of March by the Auckland Council and Auckland Transport.

That’s as forecast in EVtalk on January 8, with the extension announcement on January 10 preceding a review to determine whether hireable e-scooters will become a permanent fixture in the Auckland region.

Lime e-scooters launched in Dunedin on January 10 and are operating under trials in Christchurch and the Hutt Valley, with Queenstown, Tauranga and Hamilton also expected to get them.

Getting to grips with a Lime is EVtalk business manager Rachel Hadfield.In Auckland, Lime New Zealand Lime Launcher Hank Rowe welcomes the extension and says some new initiatives include a “Lime ambassador” programme helping improve safety.

“We’re also looking at pop-up opportunities in and around the city centre for demonstrations, safety training and giveaways.”

Rowe says uptake has been “phenomenal” since Lime launched in Auckland in October.

At least two other e-scooter operators were expected to participate in the Auckland trial over four months, but one withdrew and another is facing a delay in launching.

“Their licences were staggered between mid-October 2018 and the end of February 2019,” Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton says.

“Lime’s licence was due to end on January 14, leaving us without any operators in the Auckland market for the remainder of the trial period.

“We have extended Lime’s licence to allow us to continue to gather information and to complete our review. We are also pleased to be working with Lime on trialling some additional initiatives that will add to our review.”

Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison says this trial recognises the increasing popularity of electric scooters.

“Electric bikes, privately owned e-scooters and now ride-sharing options are becoming more popular in world-class cities everywhere.

“Enabling this trial to continue for a further 10 weeks will give us a holistic picture of the demand for and use of e-scooters in our city and enable a clear way of managing that demand in the future,” Ellison says.

“We are also pleased that Lime has committed to working with us on some safety-focused initiatives to increase responsible use of e-scooters. Our streets are used by lots of different people and modes of transport. We are working to improve road safety and we are pleased that Lime will be working in partnership with us to trial initiatives around scooter education and appropriate speeds on our busier footpaths.”