Lime notches 500,000 scooter rides in NZ

Lime has recorded more than 500,000 rides and already has 150,000 active unique riders. Photo / File

Lime's venture into the New Zealand market has quickly proven fruitful since launching their e-scooters in mid-October.

The American-based ride sharing giant has recorded more than 500,000 rides and already has 150,000 active unique riders, according to figures released by the company.

And the Lime phenomenon may just be heating up, with Lime Launcher Hank Rowe saying the company is looking to expand its services to a number of other communities across the country.

"We have received numerous requests for more scooter pilots to be launched and we are in conversation with a number of cities discussing how Lime can benefit their communities," Rowe said.

"Our rider community has grown exponentially since [our] launch and we want to provide more opportunities for New Zealanders to become part of Lime's global community."

Lime initially launched 600 dock-free scooters in Auckland, and 400 in Christchurch, with a review in three months to establish whether more will be needed.

The launch of the e-scooters has provided plenty of opportunities for locals to earn a little extra money.

Known as "juicers", independent contractors can earn up to $150 a day by collecting scooters, charging them up in their homes and re-distributing them around the next morning.

The Herald spoke to two juicers who said most scooters have a $7 or $8 bounty, but they've seen one as high as $14.

But the e-scooters have also been criticised by some members of the public who have reported incidents ranging from pedestrians being run into, scooters being left in dangerous places, and multiple people trying to ride the one scooter.

Since their launch there have been 285 public insurance claims for injuries caused by the scooters, according to figures released by Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) yesterday.

And the data also shows the rate of injuries has been accelerating.

Between October 14 and November 12 there were nearly 150 injury claims, but since then there have almost been as many claims made – around 135 – in the past 13 days.

Lime said they were working closely with local authorities to mitigate issues as they arise.