Lime upgrades Dunedin and Hamilton e-scooter fleets

Lime has completed a fleet swap of its shared electric scooters in Dunedin and Hamilton to make riding safer and more enjoyable for riders and non-riders alike.

The red and green scooters have larger wheels, front suspension, a wider footboard, and a lower centre of gravity.

They are also equipped with cutting-edge technology, including a lower speed mode for new riders, tip sensors to prevent street clutter as well as industry-leading geofencing and GPS tracking.

 Lime also offers all riders free helmets upon request in Dunedin and has set up free helmet hubs at Hamilton businesses to encourage safe riding.

“The new scooters will help riders get where they’re going safely and sustainably, and our technology upgrades will improve the scooter share experience for everyone,” Lime’s ANZ public affairs director Lauren Mentjox says.

Lime launched in Dunedin in January 2019. Since then, more than 90,000 riders have taken at least 750,000 trips within the city, replacing over 175,000 car journeys.

It has been operating in Hamilton since August 2019, where riders have taken 430,000 trips covering 615,000km and saving more than 33 tonnes of CO2.

“We are thrilled that our scooters have been so embraced in Dunedin and Hamilton and we remain fully committed to providing both cities with the best possible service,” Mentjox says.

Other improvements include an integrated bell to alert other road users, a digital km/hr speedometer allowing users to control their speed, 25cm wheels, an adjustable 25km/h top speed and a lower speed 13km/hr “training mode”, puncture-resistant tyres, gyroscopes for tip detection, a strong kickstand, GPS and wireless location technology, real-time accident detection and response to connect riders to emergency services and Lime’s support team, on-board wireless diagnostics to track every e-scooter’s status more than 1000 times per second, electronic brake on the front and dual mechanical brakes, automatic downhill speed governance/braking, reflectors and LED lights including a rear red light which illuminates when the scooter is used.