Beam Signed Up For Lake Macquarie Share Trial
Lake Macquarie, NSW
Lake Macquarie will trial shared micromobility from this month, with Beam signed up to start with e-bikes and later introduce scooters.
Beam will operate 500 of its Apollo e-bike fleet in the NSW coastal city, incorporating tip-resistant dual kickstands, dual brakes, a Bluetooth-locked helmet and swappable batteries.
Its commitment to incorporate scooters into the Lake Macquarie service comes as representatives from more than two dozen local governments attended a Transport for NSW information session about the first scooter share trials in NSW.
The NSW Minister for Active Transport, Rob Stokes, recently announced his government was bringing forward scooter share scheme trials in the State.
Soon after, Transport for NSW invited expressions of interest from local governments interested in hosting early trials, culminating in the information session on 13th May.
Transport for NSW says it is keeping the councils updated as work toward the trials progresses and the necessary regulatory changes are implemented.
Lake Macquarie Combatting Congestion
Lake Macquarie is looking to reduce traffic congestion and parking issues by encouraging people to leave their cars behind, according to the city’s independent economic development company, Dantia.
“Cars don’t spend money, people do,” Dantia’s CEO, Joshua Sattler, said.
“Businesses in Lake Mac are bouncing back post COVID-19, so now is a great time to introduce e-bikes in the city to make shops and venues more accessible to everyone and increase foot traffic.
“I saw it first-hand in Darwin when, in my previous role, we introduced e-scooters. In fact, one particularly popular restaurant on the city’s waterfront became the number one drop-off location in Darwin.”
Lake Macquarie Mayor Kay Fraser said the trial is an exciting opportunity to increase active transport options in the city.
“This trial will help gauge the community’s appetite for a pay-as-you-go system, rather than the significant up-front cost of buying your own,” she said.
Beam’s General Manager (ANZ), Tom Cooper, the company is looking forward to expanding its footprint across NSW, “particularly with the introduction the State’s shared e-scooter trials”.
Beam and Dantia have indicated the Lake Macquarie trial will be expanded to include scooters “at a later date”.
The city’s e-bike trial will feature virtual docking to protect the city’s amenity, and an in-app safety school for rider education.
It is expected to create more than 50 local jobs to manage the trial.
Beam already has operations in Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Hobart, Launceston, Adelaide and Canberra, as well as regional cities and towns including Port Douglas, Magnetic Island, Townsville, Bunbury and Esperance.
It’s NZ operations include Auckland, Wellington, Whangarei and Palmerston North.
The company has confirmed its recent US$93 million Series B financing will enable it to expand its operations to Turkey, Japan and Indonesia.