Lime reports fake ad calling for people to return e-scooters to Auckland's streets

Wednesday, 6 March 2019

E-scooter company Lime has reported a fake job advertisement that appealed for workers to return its fleet to the streets of Auckland after they were pulled because of a glitch.

The ad, posted on an app called MyTask on Tuesday, called for six people to redistribute Lime's electric scooters for $19 an hour. The job ad listing said the group would be paid $912 in total for eight hours of work.

The e-scooters were removed almost two weeks ago because of a firmware problem, which caused the scooters' wheels to lock up, sending people flying over the handlebars.

However, Lime's public affairs manager for New Zealand, Lauren Mentjox, said the company had not post the ad.

* Lime e-scooters' return to Auckland streets delayed

* Lime e-scooters off Auckland and Dunedin streets over wheel-locking issue**

Lime found out about the ad on Wednesday and reported it to MyTask. The listing has since been removed.

The job ad alarmed some juicers - contractors who collect and recharge the scooters overnight - with one user asking why the company had decided not to use juicers to redistribute the scooters.

Lime was also concerned about the ad and wanted to reassure juicers they would be the ones putting scooters back on the streets, Mentjox said.

The scooters would be back on the streets 'sometime this week', she said.

Auckland Council suspended Lime's licence on February 22 and the e-scooters were taken off the streets until the company proved the glitch could be sorted.

A fake ad, posted on an app called MyTask, said six people would be paid $152 each to put Lime's scooters on Auckland's streets,

A software glitch caused the e-scooters' wheels to lock up resulting in people being thrown off.

Auckland Council gave Lime the green light to return its scooters last Saturday morning.

Lime's figures showed the software glitch had caused 155 'irregular braking incidents' across New Zealand, resulting in 30 injuries.

Nineteen of those injuries were in Auckland.

Lime's director of government affairs and strategy, Mitchell Price, said the glitch had affected 0.0086 per cent of all Lime trips in New Zealand.

'But we also know that each trip is not really a number - it's a rider and a member of the community - so any case is one too many,' Price said.

ACC has paid out $643,000 for more than 1300 e-scooter-related injury claims since October to mid-February.

An Auckland Council spokeswoman said she believed the e-scooters would be back on the street by the middle of the week.