Wave E-scooters Launch in Auckland

Sheralee from Te Atatu Peninsula

Wave e-scooters launch in Auckland
E-scooter operator Wave will launch its service on 13 March.

Wave, which was granted a licence to operate e-scooters in December 2018, is another participant in Auckland Council and Auckland Transport’s shared e-scooter service trial, which ends on 31 March.

Wave is licensed to operate up to 500 scooters in the city centre and surrounding areas until the end of March.

Auckland Transport Chief Executive Shane Ellison says Wave will be trialling speed-limited areas.

“Wave will be restricting its scooters to 15km/h on Queen Street, and in the Wynyard Quarter and Viaduct Basin areas.

“This is a good opportunity for us to test slower speeds in areas with lots of people walking,” he says.

“Wave has also assured us that its model of scooter, which is used in other countries, has had no reports of brakes locking, or any other known issues. It has also provided assurance that it will recall its fleet immediately if any malfunctions occur until these issues are addressed.”

Wave’s e-scooters are licensed to operate between 5 am and 1am each day.

Auckland Council’s Chief Operating Officer Dean Kimpton says Auckland Council and Auckland Transport will continue to work closely with Wave throughout the trial.

“Having a second operator as part of the trial will give us the opportunity to see how different operators work and help us to inform any future decisions from the trial.

“Wave has committed to working very closely with us throughout March and you can expect to see its ambassadors on the streets throughout the trial.

“Wave’s licence and the council and AT’s expectations around its operation are consistent with the conditions applied to Lime, including adherence to the code of practice,” says Mr Kimpton.

Wave Tier 1 (inner city) mobile trading licence.
Wave Tier 2 (outer city) mobile trading licence.

About the Wave licence

Why is the council granting Wave a licence now?

Wave was granted a licence in December 2018 and it is now ready to participate in the remainder of the trial. Initially, we had three participants in the trial. One of the operators has chosen not to participate, and Lime has been participating since late last year.

What about safety?

Wave is committed to providing a safe experience for its customers. It is trialling 15km/h slow speed areas on Queen Street, Wynyard Quarter and the Viaduct Basin through its app, and will slow riders to the appropriate speed on entering these zones. The e-scooters have a top speed of 25km/h.

There will be a ‘three strikes’ policy for riders breaching the terms and conditions of the service. Wave will also host pop-up events, run an ambassador programme, and run a ‘safe rider of the month’ award for helmet use and safe riding.

What if there are issues with the scooters?

Wave has committed to voluntarily removing its fleet for any serious issue, until the issue is addressed. The model of scooters Wave is introducing has been used in other countries, under a different name, with no issue to date.

Each e-scooter will have a maintenance check each day when they are collected overnight for charging.

Will you be collecting data?

As part of the code of practice, Auckland Council and Auckland Transport requires access to usage and incident data.