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Lime has launched the first fleet of electric bicycles onto the streets of Christchurch, a move that one councilman believes is part of the city “turning a corner” in a transformation away from cars.
The electric bikes were unveiled in Christchurch Cathedral Square on Friday morning.
Each pedal-assisted electric bike comes with a helmet, lock, and lights. They cost $ 1 to unlock and 38 cents per minute to use, the same price as Lime’s e-scooters.
LAUREN MENTJOX / SUPPLIED
For the next four weeks, a portion of the proceeds from each trip on the animal-print version of the scooters will be used to support the New Zealand World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The bikes have a range of 30 to 60 kilometers and people can rent them using the Lime or Uber apps.
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Councilmember Mike Davidson, chairman of the council’s transportation and urban development committee, took a spin at the launch.
“They were pretty easy to use and made it a lot easier to get around.”
Davidson said the launch was a sign that Christchurch was “turning a corner.”
“What we are seeing in Christchurch now is a small transformation away from cars being the standard for travel, and we are actually moving towards bicycles, hiking, scooters and buses.”
LAUREN MENTJOX / SUPPLIED
Councilmember Mike Davidson, chair of the council’s urban development and transportation committee, takes a Lime electric bike for a ride.
He believed that electric bikes would help make parts of the city, like the coastal road, more accessible to cyclists.
“There will be a lot of people who probably couldn’t do the whole process back and forth, but it is very different if you get on an electric bike.”
For the next four weeks, a portion of the proceeds from each trip on the animal-print version of the scooters will be used to support the New Zealand World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The funding drive is part of Lime and WWF New Zealand’s Ride Green initiative, which aims to promote cleaner modes of transport and advocate for more sustainable transport and livable cities.
LAUREN MENTJOX / SUPPLIED
Lime has launched the first fleet of electric bikes on the streets of Christchurch. The electric bikes were unveiled in Christchurch Cathedral Square early Friday morning.
Lime launched 100 electric bikes on Friday, but the Christchurch City Council granted it a permit to operate up to 200 on a trial basis until the end of August 2021.
The California-based company introduced e-scooters in Christchurch in October 2018.
Lime’s New Zealand manager of public affairs, Lauren Mentjox, said the launch was well received by Cantabrians.
“There were some comments about how it took a long time to arrive.”
Lime staff would monitor the use of the bikes over the next several weeks to determine where the remaining 100 electric bikes would be distributed.
Although “nothing has been set in stone,” Mentjox said Lime was willing to bring electric bikes to other centers in the South Island.
LAUREN MENTJOX / SUPPLIED
Each pedal-assisted electric bike comes with a helmet, lock, and lights. They cost $ 1 to unlock and 38 cents per minute to use, the same price as Lime’s e-scooters.
More than 600 dockless electric rideshare bikes hit the streets of Auckland in February. They are operated by Jump, which is owned by Lime.
Users of electric bikes must comply with the usual road regulations for cycling and users must park off the main roads and on the trails, as with electric scooters.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said more caution should be exercised when riding an electric bike due to the higher speeds they can travel at.
“At intersections, drivers may not expect you to start at high speed, so it is important to be in a prominent position on the road and make eye contact with drivers who may cross your path,” he said.
