Beam Fallout Continues After Whistleblower’s Revelations

Two people with e-scooter

On the weekend of Saturday 24th August, a story about micromobility was splashed across the front page of the Weekend Australian newspaper under the headline, “‘Running Hot Project’: e-scooter firm Beam accused of audacious scam” The first section of this article will republish a large section of that original article published by the Weekend Australian,…

What Next for E-Scooter Share in the City of Melbourne?

E-scooters parked in a row on the street.

Melbourne, Victoria As was widely reported at the time, on Tuesday 13th August, the Lord Mayor of the City of Melbourne moved to ban e-scooters from the City of Melbourne. The motion to end the council’s contracts with operators Lime and Neuron as part of the two-year trial, narrowly passed, six votes to four. What…

I’ve Got a Golden Ticket! … err, Golden Helmet.

Two people putting on gold coloured helmets at e-scooter bay.

Melbourne Victoria E-scooter operator, Neuron Mobility, ran its fourth annual Helmet Safety Awareness Week from 21st to 29th September, in partnership with road safety charity the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF). This year’s campaign, which is referred to as ‘Golden Helmet Week’, will build on their continued commitment to highlight the importance of wearing a…

Bike and Scooter Share Ridership in North America Hits All Time High

Person riding a share scheme bicycle

Australia is not the only place where bike and scooter share has been growing strongly. All three modes of bike and scooter share: dockless bikeshare, docked bikeshare and scooter share, grew strongly in 2023 across the USA and Canada. Total trips on shared micromobility increased by 20% from 2022, surpassing the pre-pandemic 2019 peak of…

New Smaller, Lighter E-bikes Introduced to Australian Bikeshare

Woman sitting on e-bike

Brisbane, Queensland Beam has introduced 260 ‘Apollo Lite’ E-Bikes to join their existing Brisbane e-bike share fleet for a total of 38 e-bikes. The new Apollo Lite design also aims to close the gender gap in micromobility, with Beam’s recent rider survey showing that only 34% of e-bike riders in Brisbane identify as female, with…

Lime Returns to Brisbane with Expanded Fleet.

Cyclists riding across a city bridge

Brisbane Queensland More electric scooters will soon be on Brisbane streets, as the city’s original scooter hire scheme operator prepares its return this year. As part of a new deal with Brisbane City Council, San Francisco-based Lime will provide 1,700 e-scooters and 400 e-bikes. They replace Neuron as one of the two approved share scheme…

Scooter and Bike Share Schemes Are Growing Fast Across Australia

Map of Australia info graphic

The summary map that you can see at the top of this page was recently published by Zipidi, which is a consultancy run by Stephen Coulter and Krystyna Weston.When it comes to the status of the industry and government regulations, regarding micromobility in general and particularly in relation to shared e-scooter fleets, there are a…

Hard Times for Some Bike and Scooter Share Companies

screenshot of price reduction on ecommerce site

It appears that there is a consolidation happening, or ‘culling’ if you prefer a more brutal description, in the global bike and scooter share market. Bird’s global struggles have impacted it’s Australian operations, which as we reported here appear to have ceased, although the company has not responded to our request for confirmation. But since…

Beam Wins Long Term Licences for Brisbane and Beyond

Two people wearing helmets riding on e-scooters

Brisbane, Qld On 21st December 2023 Beam announced that it had won its second consecutive operational license to operate in Brisbane, following a successful tender process for a new permit led by Brisbane City Council (BCC). Beam said that the licence will run from July 2024 to July 2027 and that it will bring shared…

Lime Runs Multifaceted Summer Safety Blitz

Two people with share e-scooters

Melbourne, Vic Bike and scooter share operator Lime is running a multi-faceted safety blitz this summer in Melbourne, in addition to ongoing safety enhancements. The program includes a ‘safety ambassador team’ and parking wardens. Rather than handing out fines like council parking wardens, Lime’s wardens hand out “Good Parking Notices” to those doing the right…