Brisbane Trial Further Integrates Scooters With Public Transport
Brisbane, Queensland
Scooter share companies Beam Mobility and Neuron Mobility are part of a new Brisbane trail to further integrate e-scooters and public transport.
The trial, starting this month, allows Beam and Neuron scooters to start and end trips at designated parking hubs around Buranda, Greenslopes and Holland Park West busway stations.
To support the trial, e-scooters from both companies will also be available in catchment areas around the three busway stations, in areas including Buranda, Greenslopes, Holland Park and parts of Annerley, Tarragindi and Fairfield.
According to Brisbane City Council, the trial is expected to create new e-mobility connections to and from busway stations on the future Brisbane Metro line.
It is hoped the initiatives will increase the number of commuters using shared devices to access public transport hubs, at least in part by better connecting residents to public transport hubs and cycling and pedestrian links.
As a consequence, the improved integration is intended to reduce unnecessary short car trips, curb traffic congestion and address parking issues on local streets.
It is another significant step forward for Beam, which is a gold sponsor of the 2022 Micromobility Conference, and Neuron, which is a theme sponsor for this month’s conference.
New Scooter Ride Zone in Brisbane
In addition to the public transport integration trial, Brisbane City Council has introduced a new ride zone for its scooter share trials.
The Bulimba and Hawthorne trial will incorporate the Bulimba, Hawthorne and Norman Park areas, as well as parts of Morningside and Coorparoo.
It will create connections to Oxford Street, the Bulimba, Hawthorne and Apollo Road ferry terminals, Morningside train station, and the Wynnum Road cycleway.
Queensland residents are also being invited to provide feedback on proposed cycle and walking paths at Toowoomba and along the Carnarvon Highway between Roma and Injune.
Consultation on the Roma project closes on 25th November.
Neuron Passes 20 Million Kilometres
Neuron recently passes a major milestone surpassed 20 million kilometres for its share scooter services in Australia, the equivalent of going to the moon and back 26 times.
The Singapore-based company launched in Australia 2019 and now operates in 14 locations throughout the country.
It recently celebrated three years of successful operations in Brisbane, the longest operating tenure by a micromobility provider in a city. Starting its Australian operations with 600 e-scooters in Brisbane, the company now has more than 8,000 e-scooters and e-bikes across Australia – to be the only micromobilty operator in every Australian capital city.
Neuron’s Head of ANZ, Richard Hannah, said the 20 million kilometre milestone was “testament to the incredible growth of micromobility in just a few short years”.
“This reinforces the demand for e-scooters and e-bikes, and demonstrates the wide acceptance of micromobility as an integral part of our transport mix,” he said.
Future Scooter Lab for Beam
Beam has also been busy building on its Australian services, recently partnering with the University of South Australia to launch the ‘Future Scooter Lab’ educational initiative, offering students hands-on learning aimed at shaping the future of Australia’s micromobility industry.
The Future Scooter Lab allows tertiary students to engage with real-world challenges facing the micromobility industry through a research project. Beam provides industry problem statements that UniSA students will solve as part of their coursework.
Late last month, Beam expanded its service for Queensland residents in Logan, broadening its geofencing to incorporate Meadowbrook and South Kingstown, and this month boosted its NZ operations to include Taupō and Napier.