Lime now paying Brisbane riders to wear helmets

With crash injuries on the rise, Lime is incentivising responsible e-scooter riders with surprise street patrols and prizes.

Lime Scooters operations manager Navin Kirubairajah (left) with operations co-ordinator Stefano Galetti in Brisbane City. Picture: Steve Pohlner

Brisbane’s Lime e-scooter operator has launched a new initiative to tackle the city’s rising e-scooter injury rates, by rewarding riders who do the right thing.

This week until Friday, Lime’s “Safety Squad” will be patrolling popular cycling routes including the CBD and South Bank, surprising helmeted and law-abiding riders with $50 vouchers redeemable at Howard Smith Wharves.

The campaign forms part of Lime’s latest local partnership to encourage safer micromobility across the city.

The initiative follows a concerning spike in e-scooter incidents across Queensland.

Figures from the Jamieson Trauma Institute show 1,504 e-scooter-related presentations to emergency departments in 2024, an increase of 231 from the previous year.

The rise has prompted a parliamentary inquiry into e-scooter and e-bike safety, as health experts renew calls for the state to raise the legal riding age to 16.

Queensland remains one of only two states that allow children as young as 12 to ride e-scooters under adult supervision.

A recent study published in the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health revealed 176 children aged five to 15 were treated for scooter-related injuries at Sunshine Coast University Hospital over a two-year period.

Some suffered traumatic brain injuries requiring craniotomies, while 42 per cent weren’t wearing helmets and 12 per cent were illegally riding with passengers.

Under Queensland law, helmet use is compulsory for all personal mobility device riders, with a $161 fine for noncompliance.

Other offences, including doubling and failing to stop at a ‘Stop’ sign, carry penalties of up to $483.

Lime senior director Will Peters said the company wants to recognise safe riders and support those who may lack access to safety gear.

“As well as rewarding those who are riding in the right way, Lime Safety Squad will also be ensuring that ‘no rider is left behind’ by distributing helmets to people in need of access to a safe ride – building on our other existing initiatives that support safety education,” he said.

Lime has already committed $30,000 nationally to helmet education programs and continues to work with local councils and communities to improve rider safety.

Brisbane is now one of its fastest-growing markets in the region.

“The rapid growth we’ve seen in Brisbane comes with a shared responsibility, ensuring every rider understands and follows the rules, particularly when it comes to wearing a helmet,” Mr Peters said.

With micromobility use on the rise, the company hopes its Safety Squad campaign will help shift the culture towards safer riding, one helmet at a time.

Originally published as Lime now paying Brisbane riders to wear helmets