E-scooters in Palmerston North, New Zealand: Flamingo and Lime, prices, the rules, The Square, Massey and the river

Which e-scooter apps work in Palmerston North?

Scooter hire in Palmy, as locals call the city, comes from two companies in 2026: Flamingo and Lime. Shared e-scooters arrived on 1 November 2021, when Lime, Beam and Flamingo began a year-long trial under Palmerston North City Council permits. In July 2023 the council renewed all three companies’ permits for a further three years and let them run around the clock, the NZ Herald’s Manawatū Guardian and Stuff reported.

At 9.13pm on Saturday 31 October 2026 the map of Palmerston North showed 241 Flamingo scooters free to rent at that moment and 116 Lime scooters as last counted. Flamingo’s area runs from Massey University and Aokautere in the south to Milson and Kelvin Grove in the north; Lime’s, about 38 km², takes in Massey’s campus but stops short of Aokautere and the airport. Neither reaches Feilding or Ashhurst.

The map shows each Flamingo scooter’s place, its range and Flamingo’s price; zoom in and it also draws Flamingo’s zones and marked parking spots. For Lime it shows each scooter’s place and charge, but not its price or its zones: those are in Lime’s app. Scooters on a ride aren’t shown, and each app has the final word on where you may ride and park.

Beam, which launched with the others in 2021, no longer lists New Zealand among the countries it serves.

How much does an e-scooter cost in Palmerston North?

Flamingo’s Palmerston North rate is NZ$1 to unlock and 55c a minute, 24 hours a day, every day. The map shows that price on each of its scooters.

Discounts. Flamingo gives up to 50% off its standard ride rates in Palmerston North to tertiary students with a valid ID and to SuperGold, Community Services, Total Mobility and Hāpai Access card holders. The discount doesn’t apply to its ride passes.

Free minutes. AA members who link their membership get 30 free minutes to use in their first 30 days, then 15 free minutes a month; the unlock fee still applies. Parking at one of Flamingo’s marked spots earns ride credit.

Charges. Flamingo’s terms allow charges of up to NZ$50, or more, for riding outside its area, parking in a no-parking zone or unsafely, or an unclear end-of-ride photo.

Lime shows its Palmerston North price, and its age rule, in its app before you unlock. New to shared e-scooters? See how to rent an e-scooter.

Do you need a licence or a helmet? New Zealand’s e-scooter rules

The riding rules are national, the same as in Dunedin. NZTA, the national transport agency, has declared e-scooters with a power output of up to 300 W not to be motor vehicles, so you can ride one without a driving licence or registration, visitor or not. It renewed that declaration in September 2023 for five years, to 2028. The council adds its permits; Flamingo, Lime and Massey University add their own rules.

Flamingo’s terms require a helmet. No law asks e-scooter riders for one, though NZTA strongly recommends it; Flamingo’s rental contract says you must wear an approved bicycle helmet. Account holders in Palmerston North can order a free Flamingo helmet, paying NZ$10 for delivery.

Cycle lanes are new. A change to the national road rules opened them to e-scooters on 1 October 2026; until then, riding in one was illegal. Since the same day, a driver passing you in the same lane must leave at least 1.5 m.

There’s no 15 km/h footpath limit. A footpath speed limit was proposed in 2020, in a government package called Accessible Streets, and never became law. The 15 km/h you’ll meet around The Square is Flamingo’s low-speed zone; RNZ reported the same 15 km/h for the city centre when the trial began in 2021.

Drinking. Police say e-scooter riders can be charged under the Land Transport Act 1998, with careless driving for instance. Flamingo asks you not to drink before or while riding.

Where to ride and park: The Square, the Plaza and the city centre

The Square. Flamingo’s 15 km/h low-speed zone takes in The Square, Te Marae o Hine, and the blocks around it. Inside it, the Memorial Steps at the heart of The Square, the City Library on its west side and the i-SITE visitor centre are no-ride zones, and The Square’s car park and the Numbers sculpture are no-parking. The nearest marked spot is by The Verdict Cafe, on The Square’s west side.

The Plaza. The shopping centre, south-east of The Square, is a no-ride zone: you can’t ride through it or end a ride inside. Flamingo’s marked spot sits just outside.

Broadway, the bus hub and the Arena. Downtown and the Regent Arcade, off Broadway, are no-parking zones. You can’t ride through the bus terminal on Main Street, and the grounds of the Central Energy Trust Arena are a no-ride zone. Flamingo has marked spots at Broadway and Victoria, at 243 Broadway Avenue, beside the bus terminal and by the Arena.

Parking. Leave the scooter at the side of the footpath, next to street furniture, clear of the walkway and entrances, and take the end-of-ride photo. Flamingo has 53 marked spots across the city, from supermarkets in Kelvin Grove and Awapuni to the train station.

Massey University, He Ara Kotahi and the Manawatū River

Massey University. Massey’s guide to its Manawatū campus says you can ride motorbikes and scooters on University Avenue, known as the ring road, and on the campus roads outside it, but not on the streets or paths inside it, and that no one may cycle on its footpaths or other pedestrian areas. It doesn’t name e-scooters.

Flamingo slows its scooters to 15 km/h at the heart of the campus, and The Oval and the School of Sport and Exercise are no-ride zones. It has 11 marked spots on campus, from the Library to the Orchard Road car park.

He Ara Kotahi. The walking and cycling bridge crosses the Manawatū River from Dittmer Drive, by the Victoria Esplanade, to a pathway that leads 1.5 km to Massey or 5 km to Linton. Flamingo has a marked spot at the bridge’s city end, but the bridge itself is a no-parking zone, and a stretch of the pathway towards Linton is a no-ride zone.

The river pathway and the Esplanade. You can ride along the river, but Flamingo bars parking on both banks, along the Victoria Esplanade and on Fitzherbert Bridge. The Esplanade’s playground, pool and Rose Gardens are no-ride zones. Marked spots by the river are at the Lido, at River Walk and on Albert Street.

Palmerston North Hospital. Its grounds are a Flamingo no-parking zone where scooters slow to 15 km/h; marked spots are on Ruahine and Heretaunga streets.

Connect buses

Connect, Horizons Regional Council’s buses, sets no rule on scooters in its code of conduct or its guide to catching the bus. Ask the driver before you bring your own e-scooter aboard; end a shared ride before you board.

Route 101 runs from the airport through the Main Street bus hub to Massey, and routes 121, 122 and 123 link the city’s east and west and Summerhill with the campus. Massey students ride free within the city with a registered Bee Card, Massey says.

Did you know?

• Palmerston North’s shared e-scooters turn five on 1 November 2026. About 600 from Lime, Beam and Flamingo were due on the streets at 6am on Monday 1 November 2021, RNZ reported the day before.
• Riders made their 500,000th ride and passed a million kilometres in the first 19 months, the council’s acting chief customer officer said in July 2023.
• He Ara Kotahi was Palmerston North’s first dedicated cycling and walking bridge. The 194 m bridge, part of a $19 million project, opened on 7 June 2019, Massey University reported.
• Palmerston North’s buses went fully electric with the network change of March 2024: Connect calls it the first fully electric bus fleet in Australasia.