E-scooters to be available 24/7 after a million kilometre milestone
Published on 03 July 2023
Following 19 months and more than a million kilometres of rides, Palmerston North’s e-scooters will now be able to operate 24 hours a day.
Since the electric scooters began operation in 2021 they’ve only been able to operate between 5am and 11pm as people got used to the new transport option. We’re renewing the permits for the city’s three current e-scooter operators Beam, Flamingo and Lime for a further 3 years. Under the renewed permits they’ll now be allowed to operate 24/7 from this Wednesday.
Acting Chief Customer Officer Kerry-Lee Probert says the performance of the three operators over the past 18 months has been very good, with relatively few issues given the high amount of use by Palmy’s riders. She says the change to 24 hour operation reflects the responsible approach taken by most users.
“Having e-scooters available 24 hours a day will make them more usable for shift workers who may rely on them to get to and from work. To minimise the risk of intoxicated riding, you’ll still need to complete a cognitive test between 9pm and 5am on Fridays and Saturdays to unlock the e-scooter.”
A recent report to our Sustainability Committee noted that Palmerston North has the third largest fleet of e-scooters in New Zealand. Ms Probert says the success of the accessible and sustainable form of travel can be seen in the numbers.
Read the agenda and minutes of the Sustainability Committee meeting
“In just 19 months we’ve hit our 500,000th ride and ridden over a million kilometres on hired e-scooters. The number of accidents and injuries has been comparatively low, showing that most of our residents have taken a safe and sensible approach to this new way of getting around our city. They’ve also fit in well with Council’s goal of enabling more environmentally friendly travel options.”
She says though most complaints have been around where or how scooters have been parked, the majority of riders are considerate and ride them safely.
“We encourage all e-scooter riders to ride safely, keep to a safe speed and be thoughtful of other footpath and road users, especially those who may be vulnerable like older people or young children. E-scooters can be ridden on the footpath provided it is done safely and considerately, please use the bell on the e-scooter to alert people when you’re riding on the footpath.
They can also be ridden on the road, provided riders keep left. They are currently not allowed to be ridden in cycle lanes. There’s no legal requirement to wear a helmet but consider using one if you are a regular e-scooter rider.
“Lastly, please park considerately and don’t block the footpath. If you see a fallen e-scooter you can pick it up if you are able and it’s safe to do so. You can also call the e-scooter company using the numbers provided on the scooters and ask them to come and fix any issues to do with parking or abandoned e-scooters.”
If you have concerns about rider behaviour, please report the incident to the police.
E-scooter operators can be reached by both phone and email contacts, or through their app on your smartphone. Contact details are on our website, and the scooters themselves.