Wellingtonians will see e-scooters hit the streets this morning, in the latest roll-out of the transport mode across the country.
Local company Flamingo and Uber-owned Jump are launching in the Capital for an 18 month trial period, however some are concerned as 800 scooters descend on the city.
Flamingo co-founder Jacksen Love said on TVNZ1's Q+A that the company works closely with councils to mitigate concerns.
"There's geo-fencing and GPS technology on our scooters so we can create low speed zones and no-parking in riding zones. For example, in Wellington there's no parking all down the Golden Mile to ensure the walk way is clear for pedestrians."
"We encourage our riders to always use their bell and give way to pedestrians, it's part of their training when they first download the app, before they're even allowed on a Flamingo for the first time."
Wellington City Councillor Sarah Free was concerned about the impact of launching 800 scooters at once onto Wellington streets.
"It's quite exciting but I'm feeling a little bit apprehensive because this is a first for Wellington. E-scooters are technically allowed on the footpath, we've asked people to ride on the road if they at all can... at the moment, not allowed in a cycle lane but that's something we're working on."
Ms Free said there were safety, speed and parking concerns. "Eight hundred suddenly on the roads in one fell swoop is going to make quite a difference."
"Transport is definitely changing," Mr Love said. "We're moving away from one person being in a car and moving towards transport that gets you from door to door - whether or not it'll be scooters or the next thing, Flamingo is keen to be part of that change, and change the way Kiwis move around."
Q+A is on TVNZ1 Mondays at 9.30pm, and the episode is then available on TVNZ OnDemand and as a podcast in all the usual places.
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