After nearly a two-week hiatus Lime e-scooters have returned to Auckland's streets.
Auckland Council ordered Lime to remove the scooters on February 22 following a range of safety concerns.
Lime officials confirmed this morning the scooters were back on the streets.
The scooters had not been released directly after the ban was lifted, with Lime saying they were double and triple checking the scooters.
The decision to remove them from Auckland ruffled feathers throughout the city, with many users disappointed by the decision.
The scooters were pulled off the streets in Auckland and Dunedin, although Auckland Council said it would rescind its ban if Lime met certain criteria.
Council chief operating officer Dean Kimpton said the suspension had been lifted on the basis the company would operate within new guidelines set by council.
Lime will be required to report "serious safety incidents" anywhere in the world to officials within 48 hours.
Mechanical inspections will also be done on every scooter at least once a week.
More than 1300 people have been injured using the e-scooters since their introduction to New Zealand in October - totalling $643,337 in ACC claims, latest figures reveal.
While the figures were not broken down by day, it appeared the ban put a halt to further mishaps - 41 people lodged ACC claims last week for e-scooter related injuries, compared to 95 and 111 in the first two weeks of February.
The most injury-prone week since Limes hit the streets was the one beginning February 3, when 111 people lodged claims.
After the brakes were put on Lime, users were encouraged to send an automatic email to the council with the subject line "I support Lime in Auckland".
Users pulling up the app today will notice two areas in the city have been marked red, presumably spaces that the scooters will not operate.
There's a red square over Hobson St, Victoria St West and Federal St
Also in St Mary's Bay covering Fisher Point Dr, The Boardwalk and Telpher St.
The Herald is seeking confirmation on this.
The scooters have also been returned to student city Dunedin after the city's council followed the lead of Auckland and imposed its own ban.
Dunedin City Council community services general manager Simon Pickford said the company told the council yesterday it would be returning.
Earlier this week, Pickford said while there was now a good relationship between Lime and the council, the company would continue to be under the "microscope".
Ways of regulating e-scooters in Dunedin, including a bylaw, were being explored by the council and a report would be presented at a meeting later this month.
- Additional reporting by Otago Daily Times.
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