Lime e-scooters back on Dunedin's streets

Lime scooters will soon be back on Dunedin's streets. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Lime e-scooters' safety record will continue to be under the microscope when they return to Dunedin streets.

The scooters are expected to be back in service this week after the company agreed in writing to a set of five conditions suggested by the Dunedin City Council.

It has been 12 days since the e-scooters were removed from the city's streets, at the request of the council, due to a malfunction which caused their wheels to lock without warning, injuring riders.

Under the conditions, Lime would now report any serious incidents in Dunedin to the council within 24 hours and within 48 hours for serious incidents anywhere else, including overseas.

Each scooter would be mechanically inspected at least once a week and the council required regular updates from Californian engineering and scientific consultancy firm Exponent, which independently verified changes Lime made to its firmware.

There also needed to be more education on proper behaviour, delivered through the Lime phone app or on-site education.

Council community services general manager Simon Pickford said the company would continue to be under the ''microscope''.

The company had indicated the scooters would return by midweek, Pickford said.

As the council could not require Lime to adhere to the conditions, there had to be a good relationship between the two, he said.

"There's a bit of trust involved but we can obviously ask for those reports and it's fair to say we've got Lime under the microscope at the moment.''

There was no bylaw in Dunedin preventing e-scooters such as Lime from operating but options for regulation were being explored and a report would be presented at a council meeting later this month.

AA motoring affairs general manager Mike Noon said the conditions seemed sensible as long as the council was confident the scooters were safe.

"It's new technology. There's been a bump in the road, so to speak.''

Regulation of e-scooters was not necessarily needed but the public and councils needed to be confident they would operate effectively and safely, Mr Noon said.

"Lime might be the first but they won't be the last.''

Lime did not respond to questions before deadline yesterday.