This was published 4 years ago
Lime scooters pulled from Brisbane to 'flatten the curve'
By Lucy Stone
Lime's distinctive green-and-white electric scooters are disappearing from Brisbane's streets in a temporary halt to operations amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The popular e-scooters were being pulled from Brisbane on Sunday night and returned to base in order to protect riders and contractors, Lime's head of government relations Mitchell Price said.
Lime's head of government relations Mitchell Price (left) and operations manager Ian Brouckaert with the Generation 3 scooter in Brisbane. Credit: Toby Crockford
The US-based start-up that rolled out the scooters in 2018 is pulling its scooters from cities around the world in a bid to reduce the risk of transmission.
Mr Price said he told lord mayor Adrian Schrinner on Sunday night the company's 400 scooters would be temporarily taken offline until the situation had eased, but said it was only a short-term pause to operations.
"I've given our commitment to the lord mayor and to councils around Australia that once the crisis is under control we will be reactivating our operations," he said.
Lime is currently trialling e-bikes in Sydney and has been working with other cities nationally including Perth and Adelaide.
Lime's main competitor in Brisbane, Neuron, confirmed its orange scooters would stay in Brisbane with additional hygiene measures in place.
Neuron has about 700 scooters in Brisbane.
"We continue to actively monitor the situation and the advice given by the WHO and local health authorities," a Neuron spokesman said.
"Undoubtedly, the COVID-19 situation will have an effect on how people move around cities and what transport options they choose to take.
"We are doing all we can to reduce the risks while operating an efficient service for those that absolutely must travel."
Mr Price said Lime was using the opportunity to perform thorough disinfecting and maintenance on its scooters and e-bikes.
"We just thought it was better for us to get ahead of the curve, and whilst rides over the last week have not taken an impact, and people were still using the service, there are recommendations now that people should be staying at home," he said.
"This is our way to do our part to flatten the curve."