Lime is pushing for its electric scooters to be allowed to operate in Adelaide suburbs

The Adelaide CBD is too “constrained” for the popularity of electric scooters and they should be allowed in the suburbs, e-scooter giant Lime says — but an expansion looks doubtful.

Natasha Taylor of Hallett Cove, Akram and Ayman Kasim of Woodville riding the Lime Scooters for the first time in Adelaide. Picture: AAP Image/ Morgan Sette

• Woman loses license for drunk e-scooter riding
• Lime scooter’s Adelaide operation extended
• Greg Barila: Annoying? Maybe. But e-scooters have a place

The Adelaide CBD is too “constrained” for the popularity of electric scooters and they should be allowed in the suburbs, e-scooter giant Lime says — but the idea looks doubtful.

Transport Minister Stephan Knoll poured cold water on the prospects of an expansion of the e-scooter zone in Adelaide, saying there is no intention of making such a move in the immediate future.

In the wake of the Adelaide City Council agreeing to extend its existing permit for an extra four weeks, as an Expressions of Interest process for two operators is conducted for the new permit, Lime director of government affairs for Australia Mitchell Price said he had already had discussions with other councils about allowing the e-scooters into the suburbs.

He said Lime also wanted to be able to operate in bike paths and even increase the speed limit because of the raging success of their trial so far.

“We will be applying to have the six-month licence and we have contacted other councils around Adelaide to expand our service area,” he said.

“We think this should be across the city … we know that people are wanting to use these scooters to go to Unley, to North Adelaide and other suburbs around the city not just the CBD.”

Mr Price said the trouble Lime had with enforcing its geofence to limit the scooters to within the “constrained zone of the four terraces” showed why the area should be expanded.

Expanding the area e-scooters are allowed to operate in Adelaide is a decision for the Transport Department, even though the Adelaide City Council issues the permits.

Mr Knoll said it wouldn’t happen any time soon.

“At this stage there is no intention to extend the e-scooter trial beyond the CBD,” he said.

“The trial still has some time yet to run and we will need to assess its success in due course before changing the parameters.”

Ayman Kasim of Woodville, Natasha Taylor of Hallett Cove and Akram Kasim of Woodville riding the Lime Scooters. Picture: AAP Image/Morgan Sette

There has been over 70,000 trips made on Lime e-scooters so far in the trial.

Lime will still need to win one of the two permits despite getting another month of uninterrupted competition in the city.

Tom Cooper, chief executive of RIDE an Australian-based provider, said they would throw their hat into the ring for one of the licences.

“It (the extension) does give Lime another opportunity to operate in basically a monopoly,” he said.

“We are really keen to get in there as an Australian company.”

Chris Hilton, vice president of corporate affairs at Singaporean start up Beam, said his company had hundreds of scooters ready to go in Adelaide.

“Competitive markets and the ability to choose and compare price, service and safety will deliver better outcomes,” he said.

“We look forward to a time in the near future when people in Adelaide will be given a choice.”