Beam Wins Long Term Licences for Brisbane and Beyond

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 micromobility to even more outer suburbs during its new license term. Brisbane is unique among Australian councils in that the city council area covers most of the suburbs not just the city centre and immediate surrounds like other Australian capital cities. This makes it by far the most populous local government area (LGA) in Australia and therefore an important license to secure.

Beam General Manager (ANZ) Tom Cooper said, “We have always prioritised launching new technology and innovations in Brisbane. We’ve launched our Saturn 5 e-scooter in Brisbane, and also brought in new modal types – Brisbane was the first city to receive our seated e-scooters, and the data has shown longer trips being taken, which allows us to replace even more trips that may have been done in a car.

“We see a high commuter base now on our platform – over 40% of trips are taken for commuting purposes.”

A survey of Beam riders in Brisbane revealed:

• 23% of Brisbane riders are aged 45 and up.
• 20% of riders are aged between 35-44.
• 73% of Brisbane Beam riders have access to a car.
• 40% report using their cars less, with access to e-scooters.
• Only 55% of Beam’s riders in Brisbane having access to shared e-scooters and e-bikes within 5 minutes of where they live.
• 65% have access to shared micromobility near their place of work/study.
• 46% of Beam e-scooter/e-bike trips would’ve been taken using a car (whether driving oneself, or via rideshare) if e-scooters/e-bikes weren’t available.
• 40% of Brisbane riders use e-scooters and e-bikes as part of their commute to work and/or school.

In other news from Beam, the Shire of Esperance awarded Beam a five-year permit for operations until December 2027 following a successful trial – the longest-running permit awarded in Australia to date.

The 12-month shared micromobility trial, which commenced in December 2022, saw 200 Beam e-scooters deployed across the beachside town and 270,000 kilometres ridden as at November 2023.

In a media release Beam said, “Despite the Shire of Esperance having one of the lowest population densities in Australia, the e-scooters have seen high usage rates, with each e-scooter used on average four times a day – showing a reliance on the new mode of transport for regular travel, as opposed to primarily leisure trips.

“Whilst Esperance receives high tourism numbers during the warmer months, high usage rates throughout the year also speak to locals’ reliance on the new transport mode. In fact, data shows that over 50% of trips on a Beam e-scooter have a purpose – whether it is commuting to work or study, shopping or visiting friends and family.

“6 out of 10 Beam trips also end in a purchase at a business, aiding in the local economy.”

Beam has also commenced operations in Sterling (part of Perth, WA), Albury NSW (one of the largest inland cities in NSW) and Kogarah NSW. The Kogarah trial, although small at only 60 scooters initially, is significant in that it’s the first metropolitan Sydney Council to trial scooters.

Kogarah is part of the Georges River LGA whose closest boundary is only about five kilometres from the City of Sydney LGA. With its high population and cycling infrastructure densities and huge workforce and affluence, the City of Sydney would be a lucrative scooter share licence to win. But Mayor Clover Moore and council management, despite being strongly pro-cycling and having bike share, have been very cautious not allowed any scooter trials to date.