Lime's electric two-wheelers are throwing riders off: Here's why
What's the story
After offering transportation-rental services for about two years, US-based company Lime has hit a roadblock in some markets. Apparently, some electric scooters from the company have started throwing off riders in Switzerland and New Zealand. The vehicles apply brakes unexpectedly, leading to serious injuries, including cases of bruises and broken jaws. Here's more on the issue.
Issue
Front wheel locking unexpectedly
Last month, several Lime customers complained that the company's scooters' front wheels get locked even when they don't attempt to stop the vehicle. The flurry of complaints led the company to pull its scooters from Swiss streets, but then, similar reports started coming from Auckland. There, some 155 cases of unexpected braking were reported, prompting Auckland officials to suspend the company's license temporarily.
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30 injuries in 155 cases
According to Dean Kimpton, Auckland Council Chief Operating Officer, out of the 155 known cases reported from New Zealand, at least 30 led to injuries. This has clearly raised alarms among Lime customers in different parts of the world.
Lime's explanation
Lime blames malfunction on software bug
After the suspension, Lime acknowledged the issue in a blog post, noting that the problem has occurred due to a bug in some of its scooters' software. It claimed the sudden braking triggered only in some very specific cases, like riding downhill at top speed while hitting a pothole or other obstacle, and affected nearly 0.0045% of its total rides.
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One man even broke his jaw
Lime claimed most of the injuries from its scooters were bruises and bumps, but there were some critical cases as well. For instance, a man, who suffered from the same issue, fell so hard that he broke his jaw and lost a few teeth.
Fix
Thankfully, a fix is being rolled out now
Along with an explanation, Lime emphasized that a fix for the affected scooters is being rolled out with a firmware update. The company claimed the occurrences of unexpected braking has now been fixed in this new update. It added, "We are also proactively working with consumer protection agencies around the world to ensure we meet their rigorous safety expectations."
Lime's growth
To recall, Lime has grown tremendously over last two years
Since January 2017, Lime has grown into one of the most popular scooter-sharing services in the US and 17 other countries. The company hit the $2bn valuation mark last month and is challenged by Uber's JUMP and start-ups like Bird, Spin, and Skip. However, this issue might affect the company's dominance and give other players an edge in the US and other markets.