E-scooter hire in the City of Stirling is here to stay, with the City awarding an exclusive two-year tender to Beam Mobility (Beam) after a competitive process.
Beam’s proposal provided the lowest cost and best value to users of the service, as well as the highest return to the City through an annually-renewed permit to operate. The return could be considered for investment in paths and infrastructure renewals in the area.
The service provided by Beam has the added benefit of operating seated e-scooters (as well as the standard stand-up e-scooters), and they have extensive experience in managing rider behaviour.
Mayor Mark Irwin said the City was looking forward to continuing to offer an e-scooter hire program to visitors and residents following on from a successful trial over the past two years.
“Our e-scooter trial has encouraged reduced reliance on cars in Scarborough while also enhancing tourism and economic development along the coast, with more than 290,000 trips travelled by 95,000 users for an average distance of 2.7km per trip,” Mayor Irwin said.
“We’re excited that the community can enjoy our stunning City and coastline by e-scooter through this new partnership with Beam. Beam operates eBikes, e-scooters and eMopeds in more than 60 cities across the Asia Pacific and have racked up 26 million kilometres of travel in Australia and New Zealand since 2019.
“As well as operating in the City of Perth’s two-year trial, Beam operates across WA in Rockingham, Bunbury, Geraldton, Denmark, Albany, Esperance, Kalgoorlie-Boulder and Broome.
“Throughout this tender process the City was keen to ensure the chosen operator gave us the necessary controls to manage speed limits in geo-targeted areas, regulated hours of operation and restrictions on use in certain areas.
“We were pleased that Beam not only offered all the safety and control features the City and community have come to expect during the trial, but that they also provided this service at a lower cost for users. The seated e-scooter option also provides options for those with mobility issues and people living with disability.”
Mayor Irwin thanked Neuron Mobility for a successful partnership during the City’s trial of the technology, which was the first in metropolitan Perth starting in February 2022.
“We are working with both providers to deliver a smooth transition to achieve continuity of service. Beam’s e-scooter hire program is due to launch in late January, so we’ll be sharing more information in the coming weeks.”
Beam’s General Manager (ANZ) Tom Cooper said they were pleased to be driving Stirling's shared micro-mobility program over the next two years, in partnership with the City of Stirling.
“We see Stirling as an optimal city for us to be introducing new technology and new more accessible vehicle types like our seated e-scooters, with an increased focus on accelerating modal shift away from cars in a safe, affordable and equitable way,” he said.
“As we prepare to commence our operations in the City of Stirling, we are committed to forming partnerships with local community members and organisations, and engaging in discussions around the safe operation of e-scooters to ensure the safety of riders, pedestrians and other road users.”
In March 2023, the City consulted with the community about the hire trial, with 80 per cent of the 1,200 respondents supporting the use of e-scooters long-term and 78 per cent supporting the extension of e-scooters to new areas within the City.
70 per cent of respondents indicated they had used an e-scooter during the trial period, with 45 per cent indicating if the e-scooter was not available they would have made the same trip with their car or via public transport.
Research by Neuron Mobility found that of riders surveyed during the trial to date, 64 per cent of rides in the City of Stirling resulted in an average spend of $65 per rider.
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