Headquartered in San Francisco, Lime scooter rentals are quickly becoming a popular urban transit option in cities around the world, and in New Zealand, the growing use of the personal electric scooters accessed via a smartphone app is further reinforcing the country's reputation as an early adopter of new technology.
In October 2018, Auckland was the first New Zealand city to introduce Lime scooters, and the service has quickly become a convenient option for both local residents and overseas visitors to negotiate the harbourside city. Limes can be picked up and dropped off anywhere around the central city, allowing for a flexible and personalised alternative to Uber, taxis or public transport.
Since the subsequent rollout of the e-scooters to other New Zealand cities including Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington's Hutt Valley, more than one million Lime rides had been logged in the country by mid-January 2019. Research conducted by Lime has shown a majority of Auckland riders are using the e-scooters for short point-to-point journeys to work or university, and the positive impact of reducing vehicle traffic is promoted as a significant benefit by advocates of the service.
Countering this environmentally positive benefit, there has been an increase in accidents attributed to the use of Lime scooters, and the focus in New Zealand has now turned to the service's long term future in the country once trial contracts with local city councils have been fulfilled. Following the initial launch of Limes in Auckland, the city's trial of the e-scooter service has now been extended to the end of March 2019, and a Scoot Safe advertising campaign incorporating outdoor posters and social media is concurrently focused on addressing safety concerns around use of the e-scooters.
In the South Island city of Christchurch, Lime scooters will soon be given the green light for a further twelve months, and the New Zealand news website Stuff has reported there are plans for expansion of the service to additional cities including central Wellington, Hamilton, Tauranga, and the country's adventure sports capital of Queenstown.
By Brett Atkinson
