Lime Scooters have been given a 12-month permit to continue in Christchurch after the company assured the council that a braking issue was fixed.
The council also granted the company permission to add an additional 300 scooters to its 700-strong fleet in the city after the successful summer trial during which more than 100,000 people rode the scooters.
"We have received written assurances from Lime that they believe the braking issue that has caused problems in Auckland and Dunedin has been fixed and that all defective scooters have been removed from service," Deputy Mayor Andrew Turner said.
"Based on that assurance we have decided to grant Lime a 12-month trading permit, but Council staff will continue to closely monitor Lime’s operation to ensure the scooters remain safe for use."
The door has also been left open for other scooter share companies to operate in Christchurch though the number of scooters permitted in the city though has been capped at 1600.
"I think they have been a really positive addition to our city. It has been great this summer to see so many people using them and obviously enjoying themselves as they do so," Deputy Mayor Turner said.
Under the terms of the permit approved, Lime will have to pay a standard rental charge which equates to about $86.25 for each scooter, per year for the use of the public land.
A survey of 8000 residents in December 2018 and January 2019 found there was strong support for the continued operation of Lime scooters in Christchurch.
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