How New Zealand's e-scooter options compare
Tuesday, 25 June 2019
New Zealanders have never had so much choice when it comes to motorised scooters.
Through various council-run trials, there are thousands of these powerful vehicles zipping around the country.
They've all got snazzy names - Lime, Wave, Flamingo, Beam and Jump - and the apps share visual similarities, but what do they actually offer?
In terms of legal requirements, all riders, no matter which company they use, can ride e-scooters on most footpaths and roads (provided they stick to the side), but not cycle ways. Riders are also encouraged to wear helmets, but this isn't enforceable.
**READ MORE:
* Lime e-scooter death: Auckland councillor calls for them to be removed from streets
* Beam v Lime: Electric scooter battle begins
* E-scooter wars advance on capital's narrow streets as Flamingo and Jump launch in Wellington
* Flamingo: Meet the young Kiwi upstarts taking on global e-scooter giants**
From cost per minute to ease of access, we compare the different options in each city.
LIME
Arguably one of the most well-known e-scooter companies, Lime was one of the first to kickstart the e-scooter movement in New Zealand.
The American company has settled itself in the Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin and Hutt Valley markets - Hutt Valley is currently on a 'seasonal pause' - with around 3200 e-scooters distributed in total.
There are an estimated 700 in Dunedin, 900 in Auckland, 1000 in Christchurch, and 600 in the Hutt Valley.
Using one of Lime's e-scooters is simply a matter of downloading the app, creating an account, adding a payment method and finding an available scooter.
The Lime app requires you to agree to their terms and conditions, one being that you are 18 years or older.
Like all of the e-scooters on the market, Lime scooters need to be charged. They take four hours to fully charge and are collected daily by 'Juicers'. The payment for retrieving a scooter and charging it depends on its battery level and accessibility, but can be up to $15 for each scooter.
The cost of use varies depending on how long you reserve and use the scooter for.
On June 10, the cost per minute increased from 30 cents to 38 cents - about a 26 per cent hike. However, the $1 base fare remained the same. This will amount to $23.80 an hour (including the base fare).
In terms of how you pay for your rides, it's all linked in the app. You can add your credit or debit card, and even prepay rides - from $5 to $20 - with auto-reloading.
In recent months, Lime scooters have received criticism over various safety issues resulting in injuries. A software glitch caused 155 'irregular braking incidents' around the country, injuring 30.
In February, Lime's director of government affairs and strategy Mitchell Price told Stuff a software update 'eliminated [the glitch] and will reduce the number of incidents'.
The maximum speed of the scooters has also been a hotly debated topic, with calls from governing bodies to reduce speeds to 10kmh. At the moment, Lime scooters can reach speeds of up to 27kmh.
There are no helmets with Lime scooters, however, there have been proposals to introduce various helmet pick-up spots around the cities they occupy.
FLAMINGO
The Kiwi-based company has spread its wings into Auckland and Wellington and is planning to head down south towards the end of the year.
There are currently 400 scooters on the ground in Wellington as part of the city's 18-month trial, 525 in Auckland until October 31, and more planned for Christchurch on September 1.
One of two companies chosen for the capital, Flamingo e-scooters can be found via the app, with location services enabled.
However, along with Jump - the other company operating in Wellington - Flamingo does not allow use of the scooters in the Courtenay Place area after 9pm from Friday to Sunday.
The local company also offers people the chance to become chargers, or as it calls them 'Flamingo Feeders', and earn money with each scooter charged. It currently has a waitlist available for interested parties, but the payment scheme isn't detailed.
Use of Flamingo e-scooters is cheaper than Lime, with rides costing 30 cents a minute, after the same $1 unlocking fee. This provides users with a one-hour rate of $19, inclusive of the unlocking fee.
It offers the same payment methods with the option to refer a friend and receive a free account credit.
After downloading the Flamingo app and creating an account, all users are provided with safety information before being able to book an e-scooter. Prompts are also designed to encourage safe riding.
Wellington-based users are limited to speeds of 10kmh on the waterfront, are required to use the designated cycle path along Oriental Parade, and aren't allowed to ride on footpaths in the CBD or town centre unless other options are unsafe.
While helmet wear is encouraged by the app's creators, it isn't enforceable, and Flamingo scooters have adopted a BYO helmet approach.
WAVE
The Australian-owned e-scooter company has only launched in Auckland and has the same pricing as Flamingo.
It has distributed around 400 e-scooters throughout the city to compete with other brands saturating the region.
It has already launched successful e-scooter campaigns in London, Paris, Vienna, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and Tel Aviv.
Like all e-scooter apps, signing up and getting started is via an app, called Bird.
It provides users with safety information on helmet use, where you can and can't ride, where you can park, and various road rules. Use is also limited to riders aged over 18 years, with a limit of one person per scooter.
It also provides riders with some additional safety tips such as no headphones, no one-handed rides, and no alcohol.
BEAM
If you're in Christchurch, you'll soon see Beam e-scooters lining the pavement.
The Singaporean company is gearing up to launch 300 scooters at the end of June, with a permit extended until February 2020.
The new addition to the Garden City will max out the council's 1600 e-scooter limit.
In terms of price, Beam shares a price point with Flamingo and Wave - 30 cents a minute with a $1 unlock fee.
Beam is one of the only e-scooter companies to provide users with a helmet, however, there is nothing securing them to the scooter, which could result in theft.
Its scooters also have a top speed of 16kmh, making it one of the slowest. The products feature two brake systems - a foot brake on the back wheel and a button on the handlebar - and have handlebars sitting lower than that of the Lime scooter.
The same safety instructions are repeated to customers, but again, most aren't enforceable.
JUMP
Wellington was the first Asia-Pacific city to welcome Uber's newest venture: Jump.
Four hundred scooters were rolled out in the capital on June 17, as Jump became the second company to partake in the city's 18-month trial.
The launch was welcomed by Wellington Mayor Justin Lester who said: 'We are keen to look at different ways to encourage people to replace some private vehicle trips with a more sustainable option.'
The red and black scooters are found and booked using the regular Uber app, but toggling the mode of transport from car to e-scooter.
Using geo-location, it will show you any available e-scooters in your area at that time, or you can reserve one for up to 15 minutes before collecting it. This option also costs 30 cents an hour with a $1 unlocking fee, with the meter beginning to tick once you reserve the scooter.
There is a designated parking zone in the capital, and failure to leave your ride within that zone could result in a $15 fee. The no-go zone is outlined in the app.
Jump's version of chargers are called 'Jump Starters', but aren't yet available in the city.
Uber's creation does not offer a helmet for riders. Instead, it encourages BYO helmet, and offers a discount code to purchase one through partners Evo Cycles and Pro-Tec.
Along with Flamingo, Jump has placed a ban on e-scooter use within the Courtenay Place area from 9pm Friday to Sunday. Riding the scooters at night, outside of that area is still allowed, and the website advises people to wear bright clothing, as per the Ministry of Health's recommendations.
'We are committed to safety and have provided in-app messaging on safety tips to encourage riders to practice safe behaviour during each trip, including following the rules of the road and wearing a helmet,' the website stated.