E-scooters in Christchurch are proving to be a hit, with 107,000 kilometres being clocked up on them within the first two weeks of operation.
American bike and scooter company Lime launched the electric scooters in Christchurch on October 15 after being granted a permit by Christchurch City Council on a three month trial allowing them to be operated in the city.
At the start of November more than 30,000 people in Christchurch downloaded the app and had taken at least one trip.
Council Transport Operations Manager Steffan Thomas says even though the trial is in its early stages the scooters have been getting a lot of use.
"In the first two weeks they were available in Christchurch, people clocked up more than one million minutes on the scooters so they are proving a popular way of getting around.
"But we’ll need to do a thorough assessment of their impact before we decide whether to extend the permit beyond the three month trial period,’" Mr Thomas says.
Lime’s permit is due to expire on 15 January but the Council is likely to grant them an extension through until February.
Even though they have proven popular for some, for others, not so much.
A week after the new service was launched in Auckland and Christchurch there were 14 ACC injury claims related to the scooters.
Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said the council don’t want to be killjoys about the new e-scooter sharing service, but he wants safety measures including helmets brought in to protect users and pedestrians.
E-scooter company Lime says it is entering discussions with NZTA, Auckland Transport and Christchurch City Council to talk about the safety of their scooters.
Lime spokesperson Hank Rowe said: "We are taking on board concerns that have been raised about the safety of riders and pedestrians.
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