Overview
- Yarra City Council voted Tuesday night to terminate an almost six‑year trial with Lime and has banned Lime e‑bikes from the municipality.
- Council leaders said about 100 complaints recorded since 2020 — mainly dumped bikes, footpath riding, speeding and helmet non‑use — showed Lime would not accept enough responsibility for retrieval, enforcement or safety.
- Officers told the council Lime was the only tenderer for a permanent contract and flagged weaknesses in operational practices, data security and financial compliance, prompting the council to close the tender rather than renew under current terms.
- Data presented to councillors showed more than 425,000 local Lime trips since 2020 (about 201 trips per day) and that Lime earned roughly $2.5 million from local rides while the council said it bore clean‑up costs.
- Advocacy groups and some residents argued the scheme delivered transport and equity benefits for younger and lower‑income users and urged measures such as on‑street bike corrals; the council says it remains open to a future scheme if an operator meets stricter operational and safety requirements.