The President of Lime has written a heartfelt breakup letter to the city of Auckland after the council decided not to grant them an operating licence.
However, Joe Kraus also promised to work "relentlessly" to regain the Council's trust and return to operating in the city.
Auckland Council and Auckland Transport announced on Friday that both Lime and Wave had not received an operating licence in the city after a trial period which lasted more than a year.
Four other companies - Wave, Beam, Flamingo and Neuron were all granted six-month licences to operate a combined fleet of 3200 scooters - up 70 per cent from the previous 1850.
The council and Auckland Transport said that Lime's application offered less in terms of safety than other applications.
The decision was made against a backdrop of considerable safety concerns, including a series of incidents early this year where Lime scooters were unexpectedly braking at a high speed and throwing riders off.
Lauren Mentjox, Lime's New Zealand public affairs manager said staff are still processing the news.
In an email to previous Lime customers, Mr Kraus wrote that "over the last few days, our Auckland team has been humbled by your messages of support."
"Auckland occupies a special place in Lime's heart - because you were bold," Mr Kraus wrote.
"Bold to see - long before many other cities in the world - the meaningful contribution this form of transport can have as our cities change.
"We are so proud to have pioneered this new form of mobility with you in Auckland.
"While we are deeply disappointed that we will be unable to support our Auckland riders and juicers over the next six months, we will work tirelessly during that time to earn back the Council’s trust and return to serving the people of Auckland.
"We value the many partnerships that we've worked hard to build across the community and will work hard to resume our service with them.
"Introducing innovation is never easy or risk-free, and we hope that the new operators will continue to free the city from its reliance on private cars.
"We love serving Auckland's residents and visitors and we will work relentlessly during the next six months to earn that privilege again."
Mr Kraus wrote that about 2.3 million rides had been completed on Lime scooters in Auckland over the past 13 months by about 300,000 riders.
Lime's trial licence officially ends at midnight tonight and they will have until Friday to remove all of their scooters from the streets.
About 45 people work in Lime's Auckland warehouse but the company says it doesn't yet know if it will mean job losses for them.
A HISTORY OF SAFETY CONCERNS
- Auckland Mayor Phil Goff ordered a safety report on the scooters on October 25 last year after a city councillor was almost hit by someone riding one.
- Dr John Bonning warned Lime riders to always use helmets in November last year, with his comments coming amid a surge in injury rates relating to the scooters. Those injuries included broken teeth, lacerations, fractures, head injuries and even collapsed lungs.
- An unexpected braking fault in Lime scooters led to several accidents in early 2019, leading to the temporary suspension of their trial in Auckland on February 22. They were reinstated on March 1 after assurances were given the fault had been fixed.
- From October 2018 to July 2019, more than 1271 ACC claims were lodged for accidents involving e-scooters in Auckland, at a cost of more than $1.7 million.
- A 23-year-old man - Joel Toben - died following an accident involving a Lime scooter in Auckland on September 16.
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