Lime e-scooters are back in Dunedin, almost two weeks since they were removed because of safety concerns.
The scooters were voluntarily recalled last month, at the request of the Dunedin City Council, due to a malfunction which caused their wheels to lock without warning, injuring riders.
In a statement, Lime public affairs manager Lauren Mentjox said the company would resume operations in Dunedin and Auckland today.
Juicers, the independent contractors who collect the scooters each night, were told yesterday afternoon so the scooters could be placed on the streets this morning, Ms Mentjox said.
Lime was confident all its scooters were safe to ride, she said.
''That's what we've been doing over the last two weeks, is checking and rechecking and triple-checking to make sure that is absolutely the case.''
Lime has agreed to a set of five conditions suggested by the council.
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 was now required to be mechanically inspected at least once a week.
Lime would meet all the conditions, she said.
Council community services general manager Simon Pickford said the company told the council yesterday it would be returning.
Earlier this week, Mr 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.
Juicer Nick Borich was pleased the scooters were back.
He used his ute to collect up to 20 scooters a night, making on average about $140, and estimated he had missed out on more $1000 during their withdrawal.
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Comments
So from today there is a possibility of me being injured by a Lime rider if I am out walking along a Dunedin footpath. That being the case I have the following questions to put to Lime and the DCC.
1. Who has priority on the pavements?
2. Am I able to claim fair compensation for loss and injury in the event of being hit by a Lime rider?
3. Who is liable?
I don't expect either DCC or Lime will respond to these questions but maybe a local legal expert could provide an opinion.
Have you actually asked Lime or the DCC directly, rather than continually lamenting the fact that you haven't had a reply on the ODT site.
How do you know anyone from Lime or DCC even reads these pages on the web?
Or are you expecting the ODT to find out for you?
That's fair point you make Dunners but to be honest, Lime are not exactly known for responding to members of the public, not even the ones who have been hospitalised by the defects on their machines. I'm quite sure that the DCC monitors the ODT though. Maybe it would make for an interesting article by the ODT, how about it?
Actually these are the very questions that the DCC staff and council should have asked Lime before they allowed them into the city. Wait for one of them or their family to be injured and the Q's will start.