Lime e-scooters to stay — for now
Council intends extending licence until end of March
Auckland Council is planning to extend Lime’s licence to operate e-scooters on city streets until the end of March.
An internal council email, obtained by the Herald, says there will be a meeting early this month to discuss and confirm the necessary approvals for the extension.
“If it is proposed to formalise the decision, announcements to elected members, Lime and media will be made at this time,” said Rory Palmer, the principal transport adviser to Mayor Phil Goff, in an email to council and Auckland Transport officials.
Lime’s street-trading licence will expire on January 14 — the end of a three-month trial.
The December 21 email said without an extension to its street trading licence, Lime would have to pull its scooters off the street.
Palmer said in the email that when approving the trials, it was expected Onzo and Wave would be operating in Auckland before the three-month trial ended, and allow the relative performance and technologies of the different providers to be assessed.
However, for reasons of their own, the other providers had not been able to get trials under way, Palmer said.
“In order to allow time for other providers to commence their trials, time to assess Lime’s trial, design any licence conditions and to ensure an ongoing electric scooter service for Auckland, it is intended to extend Lime’s licence period until the end of March 2019,” he said.
Palmer has contacted Lime’s director of strategy Mitchell Price to inform him of the planned licence extension. The Herald has sought comment from Lime.
Palmer yesterday told the Herald that the plan to grant the Lime e-scooter extension was proceeding as set out in the email.
Councillors and licensing staff will discuss Lime when they return from their Christmas and New Year break on January 7, a council spokeswoman said. “A decision on the next steps will be taken that week.”
Mayor Phil Goff ordered a probe after councillor Christine Fletcher was nearly knocked off her feet by a Lime rider outside the Town Hall on October 25 and 150 ACC claims were racked up in a month.
Councillors and staff were waiting on the final version of that report, the spokeswoman said. The results of AT’s Lime survey will also be digested. She said the council was watching events in Queensland, where the Gold Coast Council took a hard line against Lime, confiscating e-scooters and forcing the company to suspend operations for failing to follow licensing rules.
There are three possible outcomes for Lime.
The worst-case scenario would be that it had its licence pulled.
The best-case would be an extension of its trial, or a permanent licence.
But it’s also possible its licence would be extended, but with conditions.
For example, following the tumultuous council meeting after the Fletcher near-miss, a 10km per hour speed-limit was mooted (a Lime can hit a top-speed of 27km/h on the flat, although there have been reports of up to 40km/h reached downhill).
“I think there has to be a speed limit and we are looking at the initial idea of a speed limit of around 10km/h but we will listen to public feedback on that,” Goff said. Helmets — not legally required — could also be on the agenda, the mayor said.