Approval has been granted for a pilot scheme allowing 700 shared electric scooters to be let loose on Christchurch footpaths.

Shared electric scooters in Christchurch will soon be able to take riders as far as Sumner, New Brighton, Hornby and the Antarctic centre – but they won't quite make it to the airport.

The Christchurch City Council recently approved a three-month pilot allowing 700 shared electric scooters, run by San Francisco-based company Lime, to descend on the streets of Christchurch – an agreement in the works since early August. Lime hopes to double the number of scooters if the trial is successful.

The scooters, which can be used on the footpath or road, have a top speed of 27kmh and a 48km range. Riders will have to be 18 to use them. A helmet is recommended but not required.

For the first time, a map of where the scooters must be within when a trip ends has been revealed, covering almost all of the wider Christchurch city.

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Supplied Shared electric scooters in Christchurch will soon be able to take riders as far as Sumner, New Brighton, Hornby and the Antarctic centre - but they won't quite make it to the airport.

The scooters were supposed to be launched in September, but Lime Scooters launcher Cameron Swanson said he hoped the scooters would now be on the street within the next month. There was no official launch date yet.

Lime has already hired more than 15 people for their Christchurch operation, and were advertising online for "juicers" – people who collect the scooter at the end of the day, charge them in their homes overnight, and put them out again the next morning.

Swanson said he expected the scooters to do quite well in Christchurch, one of the first cities to get the service in the Asia Pacific region.

SUPPLIED Lime scooters will be able to be left across most of Christchurch.

Council head of planning and strategic transport David Griffiths said the council were finalising Lime's permit last week. Council documents said the permit fee was to be determined at the end of the trial period.

Users find, unlock and pay for the scooters using an app. The dockless system means people can leave them at their destination. They will cost $1 plus 30c a minute to hire – the equivalent of $18/hour.

Data on trips taken in Christchurch will be provided to the council, showing how often people are using the service and what the most popular routes are.

Under Lime's operational plan submitted to the council, scooters will be deployed in groups no larger than four (unless in a designated scooter parking area), and would be placed in the part of the footpath shared with "street furniture" such as power poles.

Throughout the day, Lime staff would move scooters to where they were most needed. In the morning, they would be largely in residential areas so people could ride them to bus stops, while in the evening they would be focussed on commercial hubs and offices.

Lime would operate a "daytime patrol" to monitor and address any issues such as organising scooters, making minor repairs, and assisting customers in need.

SUPPLIED A Lime spokesman said the company had already hired more than 15 people in Christchurch.

Because they have a 300 Watt motor, the scooters fit the classification of a wheeled recreational device, which can be used on a footpath without requiring a helmet, according to NZ Transport Agency rules.

Lime currently operates in more than 80 places around the world. It said its network of electric bikes, electric scooters and pedal bikes have provided more than six million rides.

A report provided to the council shows in the 14 months after the company launched it attracted $467USD million in funding. Investors include Google Ventures and ride share company Uber.