Brisbane residents will soon see the return of familiar orange e-scooters to the city streets, including an expansion into the bayside suburbs of Wynnum, Manly, Sandgate, and Shorncliffe.
This comes after the Brisbane City Council terminated its contract with Singapore-based company Beam Mobility amidst allegations of exceeding its device limit and underreporting revenue.
Neuron Mobility operated in Brisbane from 2019 until July of this year and will rejoin Lime as the city’s e-scooter and e-bike provider. The company’s distinctive orange vehicles will return to the streets on December 3rd, following a new agreement with the Council. This development follows the Council’s recent cancellation of Beam Mobility’s contract, which lasted two months.
Beam was accused of deploying an average of 500 extra devices daily across the city, exceeding the agreed-upon cap by over 27 per cent.
In July, a Brisbane City Council spokesperson confirmed the allowable limit of 5,000 shared e-scooters citywide, which was later increased to 6,000. While Beam expressed disappointment over the contract termination and refuted the Council’s claims, the Council remained tight-lipped on its monitoring strategies to prevent future breaches.
However, Councillor Ryan Murphy, Civic Cabinet Chair for Transport, emphasised the importance of the shared e-mobility scheme in reducing traffic congestion by encouraging people to opt for alternative modes of transport. He highlighted the benefits of having multiple operators to foster market competition, ensure the availability of the latest and safest devices, and maintain competitive pricing.
Neuron Mobility’s Australian and New Zealand General Manager, Jayden Bryant, expressed enthusiasm for the company’s return to Brisbane, acknowledging the city’s pioneering role in adopting micromobility in Australia. He also emphasised Neuron’s commitment to safety and innovation, citing the example of their app-controlled helmet lock, which was first launched in Brisbane and is now implemented globally.
With the summer season approaching, expanding the e-scooter riding area to include the bayside suburbs will provide residents and tourists with enhanced transport options. This expansion will grant access to popular destinations such as Manly’s scenic beachfront path, the Waterloo Bay Hotel, the Wynnum Wading Pool, various cafes, and the Shorncliffe scenic path and jetty.
Since their initial launch in Brisbane in 2019, Neuron’s e-scooters have gained considerable popularity, covering over 5.5 million kilometres.
The expanded riding area is anticipated to boost tourism further, improve connections to public transport, and benefit businesses in the newly included zones.
Published Date 29-October-2024