Hutt Valley gets first taste of Lime
The latest ride-sharing craze has hit the Hutt Valley with the launch of the Wellington region’s first Lime e-scooters.
Upper Hutt and Lower Hutt welcomed about 400 of the California-based transport sharing company’s scooters yesterday.
Wellington operations manager Sam Seiniger said the system was a good fit with transport infrastructure in the Hutt Valley as a ‘‘first and last mile transportation solution’’.
‘‘The vast majority of trips taken are for very short distances and the problem is when people are getting in cars to take these trips.
‘‘So whether they’re getting in their car to go down to the bus stop or their hopping in an Uber to just go two or three blocks because they don’t want to walk – those are trips that are really leading to congestion and straining infrastructure.’’
Lime launched in New Zealand in October, delivering scooters to Auckland and Christchurch.
People have since made more than 600,000 rides.
Seiniger said the scooters were becoming a legitimate transport option with the average trip being more than a kilometre.
They hoped to launch the scooters in Wellington in the new year.
Lime is the latest entry to the region’s ride-sharing market. Bikeshare company Onzo launched 200 bikes in Wellington city in October.
Hutt City Council and Upper Hutt City Council would be working with Lime to oversee operations over the next year.
Users locate and access the dockless scooters using an app on their phone.
The battery-powered scooters can travel up to 27kmh and have a maximum range of 48 kilometres. They can be used on the footpath and road.
The scooters are classed as a ‘‘low-powered vehicle’’ by the New Zealand Transport Agency and do not require a registration or drivers licence.
Scooters were recharged by ‘‘juicers’’ who collect and recharge the batteries.
The service costs $1 to hire and 30 cents a minute after each hire – about $18 an hour.
The scooters had raised safety concerns in Auckland where it had been reported that there were how many ACC.
Earlier this month, ACC spokesperson James Funnell said between October 14 and November 25, there were 285 claims related to e-scooter injuries – 171 in Auckland, 102 in Christchurch and 12 for the rest of the country.