Embattled e-scooter company Lime has thanked its Auckland riders for reshaping how the city travels.
On Friday, Auckland Council announced it had dumped the brand over safety concerns. New providers Neuron and Beam, and existing operators Flamingo and Jump, will be given six-month licences.
The scooters were introduced to Auckland streets in October 2018, initially on a three-month trial, and the city was among some of their first launch locations, according to Lime.
In a statement, Lime president Joe Kraus said they were "so proud" to pioneer a new form of transportation.
"Auckland occupies a special place in Lime’s heart - because you were bold. Bold to see - long before many other cities in the world - the meaningful contribution this form of transport can have as our cities change."
He said while they are disappointed to no longer support riders, Lime will continue to work to earn the council's trust to get their scooters back on Auckland streets.
"We will continue to listen and respond to the feedback from council, and keep investing to improve safety for riders and non-riders in all locations where Lime operates."
Many responses on social media were in support of the dumping, with one Facebook user saying they had been against the scooters "since day dot" and it was "good riddance" they were being removed.
But another said it was a shame since the scooters were "fun and handy" for shorts trips since they didn't add to traffic congestion.
"All those saying 'about time' can happily carry on using their zimmer frames or being angry boomers sitting in traffic."
Lime scooters will be deactivated on Monday night and all scooters will be removed by Friday.
According to Lime, 2.3 million scooter rides were taken by 300,000 riders over the 13-month period it operated in Auckland.
