Auckland Council has announced the successful applicants permitted to operate ridesharing e-scooters in the Auckland region. Additionally, the ridesharing fleet is to be doubled from 1,875 to 3,200 e-scooters across 3 tiers (Inner city, Outer city, and Remainder of the region) so more Aucklanders can enjoy the benefits and popularity of micro-mobility. US ridesharing giant Lime - the first operator to launch in Auckland one year ago - has missed out on this next 6 month round of permit allocations, as has Australia-based operator Wave. Existing operator Flamingo has had its Auckland license extended (they also operate a fleet in Wellington), and three new operators are expected to launch fleets during December: Jump by Uber (already operating in Wellington), Beam (a Singapore company that currently operates a fleet in Christchurch), and newcomer Neuron (who claims to be the largest operator in South East Asia). RNZ offers excellent coverage about this story here, and the NZ Herald website offers a video of Auckland Council's announcement here. Private individuals who own e-scooters - such as our popular Ninebot by Segway ES2 - are unaffected by today's announcements, and may continue to operate their devices on footpaths and roads in accordance with the rider rules proscribed under New Zealand law. UPDATE 10 DECEMBER 2019 As reported by NZ Herald here, Auckland Council have outlined the areas where ride-sharing scooters will be speed-limited to 15 km/h. Riders of privately owned e-scooters are not affected by these limits, but the law requires individuals to always ride at a speed that is not hazardous to others.  

The listed areas include: Takapuna, Devonport, Ponsonby Rd, Jervois Rd (College Hill to Curran St), Karangahape Rd, CBD including Queen St, Fanshawe St, waterfront area and Westhaven Marina, Auckland City Hospital precinct, Parnell (including the Blind and Low Vision NZ precinct), Newmarket, Mission Bay, Kohimarama, St Heliers, New Lynn, Onehunga and certain "other areas across the city."