Lime scooters in a warehouse in Auckland. Photo / File
Electric scooter company Lime is eyeing up Rotorua and Tauranga streets.
Auckland Council dumped Lime and Wave scooters from its streets last week and gave licences to operate to two new Singapore-based companies instead.
However, Lime is having "ongoing conversations" with other councils such as the Rotorua Lakes and Tauranga City, general manager Ky Hacker confirmed this week.
He said these discussions were happening "with councils throughout New Zealand
who are interested in learning more about options for micro-mobility".
Rotorua Lakes Council's community and regulatory services manager Kurt Williams said the council's staff were "awaiting information from Lime scooters for assessment".
"They have suggested that they are interested in bringing the service to Rotorua, but have not provided their proposal to date."
The council said it had not received any complaints about the use of personal electric scooters on the streets.
Meanwhile, the Tauranga City Council said it had received "informal inquiries" but "no scooter operators have formally submitted an application to operate in Tauranga".
"For an application to be approved, we would first need to be confident that legal and safety concerns are appropriately addressed. The final decision would need to go to the councillors.
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"We've been keeping a close eye on how things are going in other cities and we're waiting to see what sort of impact the government's proposed new legislation will have."
The council said it had received three complaints about electronic scooters.
Two were made in November 2018, asking for the council to reject any possible applications for Lime scooters in Tauranga.
"The third one was a complaint received December 10, 2018, where the caller was unhappy about e-scooters down Papamoa Beach Rd," a council spokeswoman said.
Lime is already advertising for a Rotorua operations lead online.
The person would "help build a great business in a new market".
Lime scooters are available in Hamilton, Christchurch and Dunedin.
They had been on the road in Auckland for 13 months, clocking up 2.3 million rides on the city's streets by 300,000 riders.
One person was killed in Auckland and more than 2000 riders had been injured when riding the popular scooters.
Toben John Hunt, 23, died after an accident on a Lime scooter in September.
A study looking at e-scooter injuries requiring surgery at Auckland City Hospital found 21 patients needing 23 operations at a total cost of $404,925 between October 15 last year and February 22.
Injuries ranged from head fractures to broken leg, ankle and knees.
The paper "The Cost of Electric-Scooter Related Orthopaedic Surgery" found the popularity of e-scooters was creating a burden on taxpayers and healthcare systems.
Claims for ACC e-scooter injuries also topped $4.3 million with more than 2000 claims between October 2018 and July 2019. Auckland saw the most claims with 1271, totalling $1,767,480.
The main causes of injuries, according to ACC claims, were loss of balance and injuries to the knee, hand, wrist and arm.
Speed limits were introduced in Auckland's CBD after a safety review and Auckland Council hopes within six months the NZ Transport Agency will introduce new scooter safety legislation.
Lime NZ's public affairs manager Lauren Mentjox said, "Safety is – and has always been – at the forefront of our mission.
"We remain dedicated to providing the safest e-scooter product and superior rider experience in every community we serve and we work closely with councils throughout New Zealand to build the right shared mobility programme for their towns and cities.
"Lime also designs all of its scooters in-house which allows us to continually and quickly iterate scooter models to ensure the most sustainable, durable and safest scooter on the market.
"We also invest in safety and education programmes for riders and non-riders to encourage safe and responsible scooter use."
This included riders being required to watch a safety animation in the Lime app which explains rider etiquette, permitted parking, and other safety tips before riding.
Lime also held regular free "first-ride" events to improve rider's safety skills, she said.
Dedicated customer support teams were available to riders at all times and staff also regularly patrol high-use areas to ensure scooters were parked safely.
Lime recommends all riders wear a helmet, and the company is working with local retailers to offer helmet programmes in the locations where Lime operates, she said.
During major events, Lime ambassadors helped educate riders about not drinking and monitored for any dangerous riding behaviours, she said.
I haven't got a problem with them as long as people wear a helmet and be polite, but I do think they're just another phase. In saying that, I have a good friend who had a bad crash on one and hit the concrete.
Anne-Marie Clegg, 55, Ngongotahā
Yes, they're frightening. People don't give damn when they get on them. Look at the experience in Auckland, they have banned them there.
Alfred Arnold, 82, Springfield
No, I am not really opposed to them. I think the bigger issue is how people leave them around when they're finished using them - the aesthetic point of view.
Oscar Nathan, 47, Central Rotorua
Based on what has happened in Auckland, yes I am opposed to them. There have been too many accidents. I don't think we really need them in Rotorua. Maybe I'd think differently if you had to wear helmets on them.
Hilda King, 54, Mangakākahi
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