Lime off street until safety fix carried out

The brakes have gone on Lime e-scooters in Auckland and Dunedin while the company which runs them sorts out a problem with the machines locking up.

Auckland Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said Lime had been given 24 hours to disable and remove its fleet from city streets while the safety issue is resolved.

Lime advised that it has identified 155 reported irregular braking incidents that may have been caused by the unexpected locking issue.

Ninety-two of these were in Auckland and 30 resulted in injury.

Kimpton said Lime’s licence had been temporarily suspended.

“We have been clear with Lime representatives that the equipment used on our transport network must be safe for use,” Kimpton said.

“The safety of people using e-scooters and those that share the environment with them is our No 1 priority. While we appreciate the amenity that e-scooters offer as an innovative transport solution, safety is not negotiable.”

Lime has said it will implement an upgrade to address the wheel-locking issue.

“The initial data told us there has been a reduction in unexpected locking, but from an insurance point of view and as a regulator we need to be satisfied that is the case and we are looking for that third-party assurance,” Kimpton said.

Dunedin was quick to follow in Auckland’s footsteps and withdrew Lime e-scooters late yesterday afternoon.

Anthony Fleo, Lime’s regional general manager, apologised for problems with the scooters. He said the company was committed to safety and reliability and was confident the machines would be back on Auckland’s streets soon.

Kimpton said the suspension was not a reflection on the Auckland Council’s view of e-scooters.

“We have set out right from the start that e-scooters can be an alternative form of transport that can support what council and AT want to achieve in terms of its goals around congestion, CO2 emissions and a number of other goals we have.

“It is a learning process, and clearly we have learnt through this process and seen how new modes of transport are starting to evolve and come into our city, and obviously we will take some lessons in terms of the regulatory process.”

Auckland Transport chief executive Shane Ellison said if Lime did not provide information that met council satisfaction, the licence would remain suspended. The most important issue was safety of the machines.