Auckland Council and Auckland Transport licence rental micromobility operators to trade from public places under our respective bylaws.
Nekeneke moroiti: Te raihana me te waeture i ngā kaiwhakahaere e-scooter me ngā pahikara e Micromobility: Licensing and regulating e-scooter and e-bike rental operators
What is micromobility
We define micromobility as small, lightweight transport devices hired and driven by people. The types of these devices continues to evolve. We currently licence both rental e-scooters and e-bikes.
E-scooters and e-bikes are defined by the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) as wheeled recreational devices or power-assisted cycles of less than 300 watts in power.
They are:
- regulated by the government
- not classified as a motor vehicle
- not required to be licensed or registered.
The speed limit for e-scooters and e-bikes is the same as the road speed limit in a given area.
Learn more about low-powered vehicles on the NZTA website.
E-scooter regulations
People can ride any e-scooter on footpaths, shared paths and roads.
A helmet is not legally required but is recommended.
E-bike regulations
Like regular bikes, you should not ride e-bikes on footpaths, but you can ride them on shared paths, separated cycle paths and on roads.
A helmet is legally required.
Rental e-scooter and e-bike licensing and compliance
In Auckland, operators of rental e-scooters or e-bikes that are parked in public places are licensed through our Public Trading, Events and Filming Bylaw 2022 and Auckland Transport’s Activities in the Road Corridor Bylaw 2022 (PDF 1MB).
The conditions and expectations we have for this type of business are outlined in the Rental Micromobility Code of Practice.
We use the bylaws, the Code of Practice, the Trading and Events and Public Places Guidelines and the Micromobility Parking and Deployment Requirements to manage operator compliance.
Related documents
Rental e-scooter and e-bike licensing
Auckland Council and Auckland Transport ran a series of trials around the licensing of rental e-scooters in Auckland under our bylaw.
After two trials, we improved the code of practice and continue to license rental e-scooter schemes under the bylaw.
E-scooter and e-bike operators
We have two companies licensed to operate e-scooters and e-bikes in Auckland’s public places. They are:
- Flamingo
- Lime.
More information
You can read more about the licensing process and the updated conditions for operators on OurAuckland.
Fees for micromobility operators
| Description | Fee |
|---|---|
| Monitoring deposit charged on approval of application | $8,025 |
| Multi-device (e-scooter and e-bike) application deposit | $10,700 |
| Single device (e-scooter or e-bike) application deposit | $8,025 |
Licences to operate a rental e-scooter, e-bike or bike scheme
The licenses for the two current licensed operators, Flamingo and Lime, will expire in November 2026.
We are not inviting micromobility operators to apply for new licences for the next licensing period. Instead, we will offer Flamingo and Lime the opportunity to re-apply for licences - if they still meet licensing and regulatory requirements.
This approach aims to maintain consistent and reliable services during a time of significant changes to our transport network, including the opening of the City Rail Link (CRL) and related works.
Other micromobility operators can still apply for a licence at any time, however we will only progress new applications where network capacity allows.
Currently, this capacity is already met by Flamingo and Lime.
Email micromobility@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz for more information.
Email micromobility@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz to apply for a licence to operate a rental scheme.
To find out more about how we assess applications, read our assessment criteria.
Report accidents and incorrectly parked micromobility devices
If you are involved in an accident or near miss with a rental micromobility device, or you find an incorrectly parked device, report this to the relevant operator:
Flamingo
Lime
You can also email micromobility@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz so we can follow up on your concerns.