Lime launches Christchurch e-bikes

Lime has launched its rebranded Jump electric bikes in Christchurch after it secured a permit to operate up to 200 there until the end of August next year.

It is starting with an initial fleet of 100 e-bikes available for hire on both the Lime and Uber apps.

The electric pedal assist e-bikes have 30-60km range, QR codes to unlock, swappable lithium-ion batteries, front and rear LED lights, a helmet, and a retractable cable lock.

They cost $1 to unlock and 38 cents a minute to use, the same price as Lime’s e-scooters, Stuff reports, adding that for the next four weeks some of the proceeds from each trip on the animal print version of the e-bikes will be used to support World Wide Fund for Nature New Zealand (WWF).

Lime and WWF-New Zealand are bringing the Ride Green initiative to Aotearoa, which includes an education drive to promote cleaner modes of transportation as well as local grassroots advocacy to advance more sustainable urban mobility and liveable cities.

As part of the initiative, the company will expand powering all e-bikes and e-scooters on 100% renewable energy globally to all offices and warehouses and rely on even more local renewable energy.

“E-scooters have changed the way that many people move around the city.  We are keen to see what impact a shared e-bike service might have on travel patterns,’’ Christchurch City Council urban development and transport committee chair Mike Davidson says.

“We expect the e-bikes will be popular with people wanting to travel further distances or go up the hills.

“Giving Lime a permit to operate its shared e-bikes here on a trial basis gives us a chance to assess how such a service might fit into our transport network in the long-term,” he adds.

“E-bikes are soaring in popularity worldwide. They are an environmentally friendly form of transport that could help us reduce congestion on our roads and lower carbon emissions, so it is a travel option we want to investigate thoroughly.”

Lime’s New Zealand public affairs manager Lauren Mentjox says Christchurch people embraced e-scooters and Lime hopes they will be equally keen to make use of e-bikes.

“With both e-scooters and e-bikes available for hire around the city, it will be really easy for people to move around and get to the places that they want to go.’’

Lime also celebrated two million scooter rides in Christchurch since launching mid-October 2018.

It plans to introduce a new, lower carbon scooter design, the use of recycled content up from 70% today, using lower carbon materials or manufacturing, and enhancing its modular design and lifespan.