With the City of Stirling’s year-long trial of e-scooters due to end in February 2023, a public consultation process is currently underway to determine the future of the City’s e-scooter hire program.
The use of e-scooters and other eRideables was made legal by the State Government on 4 December 2021. State Government regulations released at the time included limiting the devices to 25 km/h, establishing give way rules regarding pedestrians and requiring a minimum user age of 16.
On 23 December 2021 Mayor Mark Irwin joined WA Minister for Transport Rita Saffioti MLA to announce the first trial of e-scooters in the Perth metropolitan area, and in February 2022 joined Coastal Ward Councillors Tony Krsticevic and Felicity Farrelly in Scarborough to launch the trial, in partnership with Neuron Mobility.
The trial included the rollout of 250 e-scooters in Watermans Bay, Scarborough, Trigg, Karrinyup, Doubleview and Innaloo.
Mayor Mark Irwin said the trial had been successful to date, but as a first-of-its-kind in Perth, it had been part of a new conversation in Western Australia about the safety and awareness of eRideables more broadly.
“The City’s e-scooter trial in partnership with Neuron has been popular with residents and visitors to the area, with over 130,000 trips recorded to date,” he said.
“There is no denying that over that same period, a significant conversation about e-scooters and eRideables in general is ongoing, especially around the safety of riders and pedestrians.
“There have been 130,000 trips on Neuron e-scooters during the trial, showing there is strong community interest in more innovative and sustainable modes of transport. The City and Neuron have worked together to respond to community feedback by implementing no stop areas, slow zones and sharing safety information, with a low number of recorded incidents.
“Offering a point of difference from privately owned devices which do not have the safety features of Neuron e-scooters, our trial includes measures and controls to create a safer environment. We recognise there is a wide range of views from the community and this consultation will provide Council with feedback to make an informed decision around e-scooters in the future.”
A survey by Neuron Mobility found that of respondents, 49 per cent said their ride resulted in a purchase at a local business, 53 per cent reported their e-scooter trips replaced a car journey and 96 per cent believed e-scooters had made a positive impact on the City.
The community can visit the City of Stirling’s Shaping Our City page to share their views on the e-scooter trial at www.stirling.wa.gov.au/escootertrial
Respondents are encouraged to limit their comments to the orange Neuron e-scooters which are part of the City’s trial. Privately owned e-scooters are managed under the State Government’s eRideables legislation.
Technical Background
eRideables are electric-powered devices including e-scooters, electric unicycles, electric skateboards, electric roller skates, one-wheel electric scooters and hoverboards. New laws on eRideables came into effect on 4 December 2021 including limiting the devices to no faster than 25 km/h, establishing give way rules regarding pedestrians and a user age minimum of 16.
Neuron e-scooters have a wide variety of safety features, including geofencing. This technology controls where e-scooters are ridden and parked, and how fast they can travel in certain areas (riding area, slow zones, no-go zones, incentivise parking locations). Speed limits apply to the e-scooters on foot paths and on low-speed roads in the trial area.
Neuron e-scooters are also distinctly different to private e-scooters in that they have visibly larger, 11.5” wheels and wider footplates, and they are purpose-built to a commercial grade, specifically for renting and rider safety.
Other safety features include:
- Minimum rider age of 18
- An app-controlled helmet lock, which secures a safety helmet to the e-scooter
- Voice guidance to educate riders on how to travel safely
- A Follow My Ride feature which allows riders to share their trip with friends and family in real time
- A 000 emergency button which can tell if someone has had a fall
- A topple detection feature alerts Neuron’s team if an e-scooter has been left on its side
- Third party rider liability insurance.
Neuron Mobility was founded in Singapore and now operates across Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and Korea.
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